The Pastry Chef And The Vermin
by Cakedecorator
Summary: Carly is just a normal pastry chef in Nobel Michel until the story unfolds, but when she ends up in the world of Ivan Chernenkov, she only wants one thing: she wants out! She won't hold back her thoughts and feelings, and eve calls him a 'cockroach'. Will she fall for this 'Ice King' or will she walk out? She hopes for the latter… Rated T for safety. *Spoilers for Ivan's Route"
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, Be My Princess fans! This is Cakedecorator again! This is basically just the prologue in what I think would be my point of view and Prince Ivan Chernenkov's route, also in my eyes. None of the content for Be My Princess and its sequel game is mine in any way, shape or form. IT ALL BELONGS TO VOLTAGE INC. There are also going to be song-fictions in some of the chapters, too, and from time to time, we'll look at Ivan's side of the story, as well. **

**Basically, the MC (yours truly) gets caught up in Ivan Chernenkov's world and she will stop at nothing to get out of it. One way she's going to make her thoughts and feelings clear is by…**

* * *

><p><em><span>Not Holding Back<span>_

"I am here to escort you to your marriage interview." A man with brown hair, green eyes, wearing a nice suit says, at my apartment door.

"M-My marriage interview?!" I ask out of nowhere.

Okay, it's a morning like any other… Or at least, it was supposed to be… Instead, in my hands, is a letter sealed with the coat of the arms of the royal family…

"Carly… You have been selected as a potential bride for the prince."

A potential bride. As soon as I heard those words, my life as a pastry chef and nothing more was down the drain… and world I initially wanted nothing to do with sucked me in…

You're probably confused about this; how did this happen? Let me back up a bit… It all started yesterday morning at my workplace, Patisserie Brown. For me, it was the usual routine…

"Carly. When you're all done with that batter, why don't you take a break?" My boss, and surrogate father figure, Yosef Brown, the owner of the store, said to me.

"Okay! Thank you!" I say.

"I really appreciate you coming in to work so early," Yosef said to me. "Oh, I nearly forgot! There's supposed to be a big parade down main street, so why don't you go take a peek?"

"A parade? For what, exactly?" I ask Yosef.

"Didn't you know? Today's the day two princes are coming to visit Nobel Michel." Yosef said to me.

"Now that you mention it…" I say.

I overheard it on the news last night. Prince Ivan, from the northern kingdom of Sanct Sybil, and Prince Aslan, from the desert kingdom of Shaharazal, were coming for a Royal Visit. Must be some of their public duties or whatnot…

"I'm sure there will be plenty of girls there, screaming for the princes. I don't suppose you would be very interested though." Yosef says to me.

He's right about that.

"No kidding. I've never seen a prince in the flesh before. It's like they live in a totally different world from me." I say.

Let's get something straight here: all I want in life is to become a top pastry chef, and open my own store somewhere, plain and simple. This was a childhood goal I've always had. I've always put my career first and my love life second. I don't need a man to help me achieve my goals. This isn't a Disney Fairytale movie…

"It's a big world out there. It wouldn't hurt you to spend some time learning about it." Yosef says to me.

He's right about that…

* * *

><p>I go to main street and I see cars, confetti, and crowds everywhere; I myself have a hard time handling a lot of noise, especially in big places like this. It's not like I've ever been good in crowds, anyway.<p>

"Squee! It's Prince Ivan!" One townsgirl screams; I cover my ears.

"Prince Aslan's such a hottie!" Another girl screams.

It really isn't that big of a surprise that they're such girl magnets. I'm just not one of those girls who thinks that princes are all that. All I see are just some high-profile politicians with more money and manners than the rest of us. As far as I'm concerned, they're on the same level as us.

"It is our pleasure to visit you all here in Nobel Michel." Prince Aslan says.

Prince Ivan, next to Prince Aslan, had his arms crossed, and a scowl on his face. I shudder at the iciness of his stare.

"Ooh, Prince Ivan!" A boy says.

"He's even cooler in person!" A second boy says.

A group of boys were trying to push their way past me, and try to get a glimpse.

"Careful, you guys. What's going on?" I ask them.

"I wanna get his autograph!" The first boy said.

"Prince Ivan's a black belt! He's really strong!" The second boy says in reply

I'm wondering whether or not they're going to land themselves in hot water by approaching him. I just hope for the life of me that they _don't_.

"Hold it!" I say, trying to hold the boys back.

They just scampered through the crowd and rushed towards Prince Ivan.

The first boy asks Prince Ivan, "Can I have your autograph?"

Prince Ivan hesitates and the atmosphere goes dead silent. I know better than to approach a prince, but if need be, I'm going to step in and protect those boys.

"Get away from His Highness, you kids!" A cop says.

"But we just…" The first boy begins, but the cops started to rush in and surround the boys.

They'd better not be thinking of arresting those kids just for something as simple as a signature! If they are, I am NOT above making a scene!

"Wait." Prince Ivan says; that's flipping the script.

Prince Ivan stepped out of the car and began to approach the boys. I start giving Ivan the stink eye, albeit not trying to make eye contact, and I'm ready to get in his face.

Silence filled the air, but Prince Ivan strode towards boys, slipped through the cops, and took the pen and paper from the boy.

He's giving the boy his autograph? Really? That's… unexpected. Prince Ivan pats the boy on the head, gives the pen, and paper back to the boy, and then returns to the car. I sigh in relief…

"Wow…" I say; what a relief…

My eyes meet with Prince Ivan's for a second, but then he turns away from me. That's actually something I thought would never happen…

Nice to see he isn't all stone…

* * *

><p>Back at the bakery…<p>

"Say what?! A message from the palace?" I ask Yosef.

"Yes! There was some sort of mix-up, and they never received their order of flour!" Yosef explains. "So, they sent a message here asking if we could spare some. I told them we had plenty of extra flour because of all the orders lately, and they asked if we could deliver some to the palace."

We get to go to Nobel Michel castle?! That's amazing!

"We get to go to Nobel Michel palace?" I ask, my eyes lighting up.

Sadly…

"Of all the times for the car to break down!" Yosef complains.

The car breaks down and we're stuck on the side of the road on the way there, and we're pretty much in a bind.

"This old piece of junk… I've been meaning to buy a new car for ages now, but…" Yosef says.

"We'd better just head back to the bakery and get a truck." I say.

"That's probably best. We can't just ignore an order from the palace, after all." Yosef says to me.

However, a light flashed in the rearview mirror.

"A car's coming, Yosef! I'll go flag them down!" I say, and then get out of the car.

"Excuse me! Please stop! Our car broke down and it's an emergency!" I shout.

The car screeches to a halt, and I notice how fancy it is. I ignore it for the moment, as the backseat window opened up and a man poked his head out the window.

"Is something the matter?" He asks me.

He had a cheerful smile on, but I felt there was something in his eyes that seemed… off. I ignore it and then I tell him, "We were asked to deliver flour to the palace, but the car broke down…"

"You're delivering flour to the palace?" He asks me aloud, and I nod in reply.

He helps me get the flour into the trunk and then I get in the backseat with him.

"Thank you SO much for your help! You're a life-saver!" I tell this man.

"My pleasure. We should all help each other out when we can, right?" He asks me.

"I concur!" I say, with a big smile.

I can tell that his clothes are high-end, and his manners are exemplary. If he's a dignitary or something, he really knew his stuff.

"Forgive me if I was keeping you from anything…" I continue.

"Don't worry about it. I was going this way anyway," He said, but then he started to laugh. "I'm sorry… It's just that you looked so serious, I couldn't help it. Hehe…"

"Do I really look that strange?" I ask him.

"It wasn't odd or anything. I've just never seen someone make that face before," He tells me. "Forgive me. I don't have the opportunity to meet many ordinary people."

That sort of caught me off-guard. That statement said to me that he's of a different class, mainly higher…

When we get to the palace, I look at it and how beautiful it is. I'm soon in the front of the courtyard, trying to find my way to the kitchen.

"Geez… That person who helped was very nice, but laughing at me? That was a little uncouth…" I muttered.

When I asked for his name, he said he was someone whose name wasn't worth knowing, and that gave me a hint that he's either some celebrity that didn't feel happy about it or something…

"Eh, what are the chances we'll ever meet again?" I ask, driving the truck towards the delivery gate.

"Eek! It's Prince Kuon of Oriens!" A woman shouts, and then a fancy car pulled up.

A man dressed like royalty stepped out, attracting a huge crowd. Typical…

"Prince Kuon, why don't you give them a smile?" His butler asked.

Prince Kuon just gave a 'humph'.

I see that I'm in the way, so I begin to move, when a bag of flour fell off the back.

"Oh, snap!" I say.

Prince Kuon walked over and helped me pick up the flour bag.

"Thanks…" I say, a little suspicious.

"Don't worry about it." He says, smiling. "Not the best spot is it?"

"No kidding," I say. "I was about to move the truck…"

"Are you taking this to the kitchen? I'll carry it for you." He says to me.

"Now, hold on! There's not really a need for it, Your Highness! I can do it myself." I insist.

"Please, it would be my pleasure." Kuon said to me.

I sense his earnestness and then I nod.

"Prince Kuon!" His butler shouted. "Everyone is waiting for you. Where are you going, Your Highness?"

"So let them wait. I'm not going to ignore a lady in need. I don't recall being raised with such poor manners." Prince Kuon says; his mouth's corners were twitching up.

"B-but, Your Highness, be that as it may…" Prince Kuon's butler says, but…

"I'll be there soon, so you go on ahead," Kuon says to his steward before turning back to me. "Let's go."

"Let's do it." I say, with a smile.

* * *

><p>After Prince Kuon helps me carry the flour, once we got to the kitchen, he leaves. Well, that's to be expected. I'm sure he has a reason to be here, and I'll bet that it's <em>not<em> kitchen-related.

"Are you here with the flour?" A pastry chef asks me. "Thank you, I really owe you one. I'm the head pastry chef here."

"Really?!" I ask, elated.

This person is the #1 pastry chef in the world! And I'm talking to this man. Now I need to make sure that I'm poised and confident.

"I-I'm sorry it took so long." I say.

"No, no… I'm the one who should be apologizing for making you come here," He says, and then looks me over. "By the looks of you, you're a…"

"Oh, I'm a pastry chef, too! Well… to a degree. I'm still an apprentice." I tell him.

"You are? Well, then, do you think you could help me with something? What with all the confusion about the flour, things are a mess back here in the kitchen. Would you mind lending us a hand with the dessert?" The head pastry chef asks me.

I smile brightly; this is a dream come true for me, and I roll up my sleeves. I tell the head pastry chef, "Let me at it!"

Staff were rushing back and forth; running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but I ignore it and help out kindly.

"Chef! We've finished baking he cakes, but they still need to be decorated." One of the staff members said.

I see undecorated cakes lined up on the counter. There's a lot of cakes, so I assume a really big party is going on.

"You said your name was Carly, right? Could you do that one?" The head Pastry Chef asks me, pointing to one of the cakes.

I may still be just an apprentice, but I'm confident that I can impress.

"Leave it to me! I'll pull out all my tricks!" I say, and then I get to work on decorating the cake.

The pressure's on, and I tie on my apron. If there's one thing I love, it's a challenge!

"Chef, what do you think?" I ask, as I finish up the cake, and show it to the chef.

"You went with a pretty simple design, huh?" He asks me.

"I tasted a little of the cake; the flavor was very complex, so I thought a more simple design would highlight that complex flavor." I explain.

His mouth was covered with his hand, and I shudder a bit.

However, he gave me a smile, and then he says, "This is wonderful. I knew you were the girl for the job!"

This causes me to grin brightly, and I feel so happy.

"Thank you _so_ much!" I say to the head Pastry Chef.

"How about helping us with some madeleines next?" He asks me.

"Yes!" I say, with a big, wide smile.

I follow behind the head pastry chef, I overhear some of the staff talking.

"Did you hear? The princes are all here because they're looking for brides." "I wonder what kind of girls the princes are into."

I listen to the staff, but I subtly roll my eyes. What grief are those men going to get? They're so popular that they're going to have the pick of the litter of girls.

"Time to bake!" I say, distracting myself, and beginning to bake.

I decide to cut through the gardens to get back to Patisserie Brown, and I'm sore all over.

"Sheesh, it was a battlefield in there…" I say, but then I notice how huge the garden is.

_'It's beautiful out here…' _I think, and then I see the roses. I kneel down to get a better look at the roses.

"What beautiful roses…" I say. I see how beautiful they were; they are shimmering in the silver moonlight and dew.

However, I hear something rustle in the bushes, and I back off; I put up my fists, ready to fight.

However, someone pops out of the bushes and I cry out in surprise.

"Sh! Quiet!" He presses both of his hands over my mouth.

"M-mph!" I try to speak, but my mouth is shut. I don't care who this guy is; I'll crush his foot if he tries anything!

However, rather than doing anything inappropriate, he just yanks me into the bushes with him. My mind is racing…

_'What's going on?! What should I do?!' _I think.

"Prince Aslan! Where are you?" I hear someone call out from the distance.

"That party's about to start! Prince Aslan!" The same voice shouts.

_'Prince Aslan?!' _I think.

"Why won't she just leave me alone?" Prince Aslan asks aloud.

I look up at him, my arms still behind my back. The face bathed in the moonlight was the same one I saw at the parade earlier.

_'Oh, snap… It's really him…' _I think, my mind going blank.

I was pressed tightly against his chest and his scent was filling my nose. I decide not to make a fuss. Judging by his voice and his body language, he did not want to be found out, so I keep quiet.

"…You smell really good. Sweet, almost," He says to me; I go red in the face at this comment, and he smiles. "Are you a baker or something?"

"Yes, I am." I say to him; I try not to look stupid, so I just be objective with my response.

I felt really confused, and after that, my mind blanked out. Whether it was caused by the fact a man was holding me, or I was talking to a prince, I don't know, but it freaked me out.

"Hm… A baker, huh? That might not be so bad…" He says, looking up at the night sky.

I had no clue what he meant, and I was about to get snippy and ask him, when…

"Your Highness, where are you!? Please come out! Thinkg about the position you're putting me in!" That woman's voice says again, her voice on the verge of tears.

"I guess I have to go," The Prince sighs, in resignation, and then he let go of my arms. "I'm sorry if I surprised you."

He turned away and he left; I sigh in relief. I like the fact he was self-aware about whether or not it caused me to panic, but he still scared me half-to-death.

"Surprised me? He almost made me go into cardiac arrest!" I say, before slapping myself in the face.

"Carly!" I hear someone shout, and then the head pastry chef came out to find me.

"Thank goodness you're still here." He says to me.

"Chef! What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I've been looking all over for you. He wants to see you." The head pastry chef explains.

"Um… "He", meaning who?" I ask.

"Prince Hayden, the Prince of Philip." The head pastry chef explains to me.

"Say what?!" I ask aloud, in surprise, but I go along with it.

* * *

><p>I've seen some pretty fancy parties in my time, but this takes the cake. I see how big, and beautiful the ballroom is, and realize that I felt a little out of place wearing my chef's uniform, but I ignore it for the moment.<p>

_'I just want to get out of here… What does Prince Hayden want?'_ I think. I have more important things to worry about.

"Ooh, look!" "Prince Hayden's coming out way!"

I see a man with blond hair and blue eyes, in a white military jacket, and a red sash on. He approaches me, and I stiffen up a bit.

"Are you Carly?" He asks me.

"Yes, I am," I say; I see his focused gaze on me, but I try to force down my nerves. "The head chef say you wanted to speak to me?"

"Where did you learn to decorate cakes like that?" Prince Hayden asks me.

"Eh?" I ask.

"The cakes you decorated. Where did you learn that style?" He asks me.

Now I get it.

"It's more or less my own original work," I say. "A customer wanted one for a small wedding, so I…"

He listens intently to me, but I try not to ramble.

"I made her a cake, and she really liked it. I thought the style I used back then fit the cake this time around, as well." I explained.

I'm betting that he hated the simplicity, but the next words I heard were out of nowhere.

"I will be having a memorial service for my late grandfather, soon." He says to me.

"King Wilfred?" I ask.

Everyone knows King Wilfred is Prince Hayden's grandfather, and was known as a just and benevolent ruler, even though his older brother, Stephan, was the firstborn son. His death was heavily mourned over, and with good reason.

"Yes. We will have an official ceremony, but I would also like to have a private funeral, just for my family. I would like the cakes for the private ceremony to be decorated the same as this one. I was hoping that you could write down some instructions for my royal pastry chef." Prince Hayden says to me.

So that's what he wanted. Whew…

"Of course! I'd be happy to!" I say; anything related to baking fires me up.

"If you'd be so kind." He says to me.

"Thank you very much, Your Highness." I say to him, with a polite bow.

The thought that he liked my cake caused me to smile up at him.

"Hm…" He says to me, with a smile; I start to feel a little nervous and my guard goes up.

I hide my hands behind my back and I stood up straight.

"What's wrong? Why are you hiding your hands?" He asks me.

"No reason…" I say; as if I can tell him I'm nervous talking to a royal!

"Show them to me." He asks me, before grabbing my hands, roughly.

"My hands are covered in cuts and burns," I say. "I'll bet in the eyes of someone like you, they're probably quite revolting."

Now I know I'm being a bit critical, but that's how I am. I tell it like it is, I don't hold back.

"Oh? I think they're beautiful, actually." He says to me.

His hands cupped my own, and saying that my hands, all covered in labor scars, are actually beautiful, is either a big stretch in his good manners or he really meant it. However, I was sure that it was the former.

"Prince Hayden is smiling! And he's holding some girls' hand!" "But she looks like she's just a servant!"

I feel a thousand pinpricks across the back of my head. I am _so close_ to just letting my tongue loose.

"Give me a break…" Prince Hayden says. Looks like he hates this, too…

"Hey there, Hayden!" Another voice said, and then we turn to see a man in a red and black military jacket and a white sash approaching us.

He had a woman in tow, and he split through the crowd to make his way to us.

"Eek! Prince Oliver!" Someone shouts.

Prince Oliver of Altaria?! Exactly how many royal men does that make it today?! Seems I'm meeting royal after royal today, and it's getting a little overwhelming…

"You're the center of attention, as usual!" Oliver says.

Prince Hayden does not answer.

"But that's the world famous Prince Hayden for you! There's no need to be shy." Prince Oliver says.

"I'm not." Prince Hayden states.

"There you go again." Prince Oliver says.

During their banter, the crowd gets larger and larger. I try to stand my ground and ignore it.

"Who does that pastry chef think she is, hogging all the princes!?" Someone asks.

Hey! Don't bark up the wrong tree! I didn't _ask _for this to happen. I just want to say that _so badly!_

"What's wrong? Why do you look so upset?" Prince Oliver asks me, cocking his head to the side and looking mat me in curiosity.

"It's nothing. I'm just…" I begin, but…

"Do you not feel well?" Prince Oliver asks me.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"You shouldn't overdo it," Prince Oliver says, before wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and dragging me through the crowd. "Here, let us through! We're in a hurry!"

"Now hold on, Prince Oliver!" I begin, about to give him a piece of my mind.

"You can just call me Oliver." He says to me.

"As if I could do that!" I say, and with good reason. As if I can become friends with a prince right off the bat.

"It's fine, really." He says to me.

Laid-back, much?

He continues to drag me out of the hall along with him and then we're soon out of the banquet hall, before hiding us behind a large pillar.

"We should be safe here," Prince Oliver says to me. "We can't go making all the ladies jealous on purpose, now can we?"

I get it: he helped me escape from all of the spiteful women in here.

"Thanks…" I say to him.

Although he's laid-back, I can see he's good-natured, and I like that kind of guy. And _NO_, I am _NOT_ crushing on Oliver. I'm no idiot…

"Hm… I bet I know what you're thinking right now." He says to me.

"Oh, really?" I ask, crossing my arms.

However, he gave me a pleasant smile and places his hand on my head.

"I think this might have been fate. I'm sure we'll meet again," Prince Oliver says to me. "Until then, Pastry Cutie."

After Prince Oliver leaves, what he said runs through my head. "Fate"? What was he talking about? The chances of me meeting a Prince more than once are so small that it's nearly impossible. But then again, what am I saying? I just met _five_ in one day! And calling me 'Pastry Cutie'… Well, that's a first.

"I should book it before something goes wrong." I say, but then someone bumps into me.

A woman in a dress bumps into me, and she spills her wine on me by mistake in the process.

"Oh my, excuse me! Oh, you're a pastry chef?" She asks me.

"Yes, I am," I say. "Don't worry about the getting on my uniform. This type of attire is designed for this sort of thing."

"Hm, just from your outfit, I take it you aren't one of the candidates." She says to me.

"Candidates for _what_, exactly?" I ask, a little confused.

Out of nowhere, the banquet hall goes dark and then spotlights light up the stage; the dazzling lights are so bright that I have to cover my eyes for a few seconds.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce our princes!" The host of the show said.

I look at the stage, and I see six men standing there; I recognize the one with the purplish-color hair.

_'That's the man who helped with the car! Don't tell me he's a prince, too?!'_ I think.

Remember when I said that I have already met five princes in one day? Scratch that and make it SIX!

"Wait, he's a prince?!" I mutter, trying not to lstick out.

"And now that Prince Sieg has safely arrived, we can move on to tonight's main event." The host began.

I meet Prince Sieg's gaze, but I try not to look at him; however, he gave me a smile from up on the stage, and I look at him in confusion.

"Before too long, we, along with two new princes, will hold the Nobel Expo." Prince Hayden says, and the banquet hall fills with excited murmurs.

Even I don't know what the Nobel Expo is.

"In the spirit of international cooperation and cultural understanding, we have put together this exhibition for the enjoyment of our peoples," Prince Hayden says. "We hope that you will enjoy attending as much as we have enjoyed preparing this event, and we sincerely look forward to seeing you all there."

"What's the Nobel Expo?" I ask a waiter.

"What, you've never heard of the Nobel Expo? Why, its…" He begins, but then something interrupts us.

"Now for a special surprise… Ladies and gentleman, the bouquet toss!" The host says, causing women to cheer out in delight.

I didn't get my answer about the Nobel Expo, but I cover my ears in pain. Why are they having a bouquet toss? This isn't a wedding…

"The lucky lady who catches the bouquet will have the pleasure of getting to dance with whichever prince threw it!" The host says, and then all the women – minus me, of course – mob the stage.

"Prince Hayden, throw it to me!" "Prince Sieg, over here!" "Choose me, Prince Aslan!"

I see the women going at it for the bouquets. I just roll my eyes in annoyance. What harpies… It's not only got nothing to do with me, but I don't dance. Doesn't mean I can't, but I just prefer not to.

"Better get going while I still can…" I say, and I start to get out of hall.

A drumroll begins, and just as I turned away from the stage…

"Alright, Your Highnesses! Whenever you're ready!" The host says.

I hear the rustling of hundreds of skirts behind me, but then…

"Ouch!" I shout, and it was that one hit in the head that caused my life to do a complete one-eighty…

* * *

><p>I'm dragged to a dressing room to change into a dress. Long story short, rather than catching a bouquet, I was hit in the head with one.<p>

This isn't the first time wearing a dress, but a gown like this, is a first for me.

The maids do my hair and makeup, and I felt like someone else. I'm no stranger to this sort of thing, but… I didn't expect this to happen.

"I wish I could just leave… But since a Prince is waiting on me for a dance, what choice do I have?" I moan.

I move into the banquet hall; I'm used to wedge shoes, but heels, that's new for me, so I stumble every now and again, but I'm otherwise fine.

"Is that the same girl as before?" "Wow, that prince really has good taste!"

People are talking about me, and I just roll my eyes; I'm used to pressure, so I feel okay as everyone's gazes are upon me.

"You're the one who caught the bouquet, right?" I hear someone ask, and I turn to see Prince Ivan.

"So you're my dance partner, huh?" He says, and reaches his hand out to me, with an expressionless face on.

With a subtle scoff, I put my hand in his.

"Just so you know… This ain't my first rodeo in dancing." I say to him, trying to be as bitter as possible.

"Just follow my lead." He says to me.

"Tch, fine…" I mutter.

"Is there a problem with that?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"No." I state, clearly.

His expression showed no change, so I can't rely on body language to figure out what's on his mind. I let it go and I just decide to make small talk with him.

"Um, I saw Your Highness this morning in the parade." I begin, trying to make the topic pleasant.

He refuses to respond.

"You gave your autograph to those little boys who jumped out of nowhere, right?" I ask him. "It's nice to see you're not the type to make mountains out of molehills with young kids."

Prince Ivan once again refuses to speak, and I just smile at him; he does not even give me a second glance.

_'Tch… Just as intimidating up close as he is from afar. Figures…' _I think, and as the music begins to play, I tense up.

"Let's go." He says to me. FINALLY, he says something!

"Fine…" I say, as I follow Ivan, who strides to the middle of the dance floor.

"Now hold on," I say. "Are we going to dance in the middle of everyone?"

"Of course we are." He says to me.

The music begins to play, and I manage to keep up with the beat, but while I can dance, formal dances are a little new to me.

I focus on my feet, but Prince Ivan stops.

"Looks like she knows a little bit of what she's doing." "I guess even ordinary people have some high-society talents. In her case, baking."

I ignore what everyone is saying, and I try to be as calm as possible.

"Prince Ivan, I don't think…" I begin.

"You aren't dressed very well. That dress looks terrible on you. It makes you stick out." He says to me.

Idiot… He didn't have to be so mean about it. If anything, I _know it_.

"Chin up and stand straight." He says to me, grabbing my chin.

"Hey!" I protest.

"If you do what I tell you, you'll fit in better." He says to me.

I can't tell whether he's being mean or trying to help me out, but I just go with it; I look up at him and square my shoulders.

"That's better." He says to me with a smile.

I roll my eyes.

"If you take smaller steps, you won't trip on your hem." He says to me.

I comply and keep my mouth shut.

"Just follow my lead." He says to me; again, no expression.

I relax my body in Prince Ivan's arms, and then I make it to the end of the song without any problems.

"Thanks for the advice," I say, bowing my head. "It certainly helped."

"…The next lesson will be proper etiquette." Prince Ivan tells me.

"I beg your pardon?" I ask him as he's leaving.

"Zain, you take care of the rest." Prince Ivan says to the steward.

"Now hold on!" I say objectively, getting Prince Ivan to stop and look at me, expressionless. "What are the chances you and I will even meet again? I highly doubt it will happen, anyway."

Prince Ivan looks at me as I give him my hardest look and try to use my body language to make it clear that I didn't expect to see him again any time soon… if at all.

"Miss Carly. I'll drive you home." Zain says.

"Thanks so much," I say, with a smile, but my expression changes. "Is Prince Ivan like that always?"

"He always puts the good of his kingdom, Sanct Sybil, first," Zain tells me. "However, he's a wise ruler who doesn't let anything faze him."

So, he's a sociopathic prince who has his priorities straight?

"He doesn't usually partake in these events, but he looked like he was actually enjoying himself tonight." Zain says to me.

"That sociopath? His body language was impossible to read! I was completely fooled…" I say.

* * *

><p>Once I'm home, I shut the door behind me and I breath a heavy sigh.<p>

"I feel like I woke up from a dream…" I say, but I shake my head. "As if that's going to happen again, though."

I decide not to say anything about this to any of my friends. As if they'd believe me…

I just collapse into bed after washing my wine-stained uniform.

I wake up the next morning, and then I say, "Time to get working!"

I'm thinking about what I have to do when my doorbell rings.

"Who is it?" I ask, and then go to the door.

"Good morning, Miss Carly." Zain said, at the door.

"Oh!" I say. "Did I forget something yesterday?"

"Not at all." Zain says.

"Are you here to pay for the flour?" I ask.

"No, we've arranged payment for another day." Zain says to me.

"So…" I ask, prompting Zain to continue.

"I'm here to pick you up, Miss Carly." Zain says to me.

"Pick me up? I can walk to the store." I say to him.

"No, I'm afraid you misunderstand," Zain tells me. "I am here to escort you to your marriage interview."

"Marriage interview!? What the heck?!" I ask, floored by that statement.

"Carly, you have been selected as a potential bride for the prince. I am here to escort you to Nobel Michel." Zain explains.

My head is spinning, and I am completely shocked.

"The prince was actually looking for potential brides last night at the party. When he tossed his bouquet to you, he was choosing you as a potential bride." Zain explains to me.

"You expect me to believe that's the reason he chose me last night?" I ask him, crossing my arms.

"Here is a small token from Prince Ivan. His Highness selected this dress and accessories with you in mind." Zain says, opening up an extravagant box and holds up the dress for me to see.

"Now hold on! There has to be a mistake!" I say in protest.

I slap myself to wake myself up, but this is all too real.

* * *

><p>The next thing I know, I'm at Nobel Castle, and I'm confused about everything…<p>

"Please change into your dress and wait here." Zain III tells me.

He then leaves, and I realize that if they were to drag me all the way here, then the possibility that this is a joke is very small.

The fact that I, an ordinary pastry chef, would be invited to a marriage interview with a prince is just too surreal that it's reality… If that makes any sense…

This dress is the kind that takes more than one person to get on, and I feel like I'm being forced into something that I never asked for.

Then, a man in a white coat enters the room, and he asks me, "You must be Carly?"

"Yes…" I begin.

"I'm the doctor accompanying the prince from Sanct Sybil. I'd just like to perform a physical on you, if you don't mind?" He explains.

"Oh, no! No way!" I begin to protest, but I soon find myself doing routine checks.

"It seems like you're in perfect health." He says to me.

"Yes, I have a good immune system." I say.

"That's very good. Well then, please excuse me." The doctor said, before leaving.

I slap myself in the face, completely confused about everything. Once I get to see Ivan, I am going to make it one hundred and fifty percent clear that I have no intention of going through with this.

"Now that you've completed the health check, please proceed to the hall. You will be attending a ball hosted by Prince Ivan." Zain says to me, and I just follow his lead.

I follow into the banquet hall and I see a lot of other young women wearing gowns, as well.

I feel the piercing gazes on me, but I just roll my eyes in annoyance.

Zain leads me to a chair and he asks me, "Could you please wait here?"

"Sure. Zain, why are there other women here?" I ask him.

He lowers his voice and says to me, "Actually, it's a tradition for marriage candidates to be chosen by the bouquet toss. But for someone… like you… to…"

I get what he's saying.

"Someone not from the nobility. It wasn't intended to be a normal girl?" I ask.

"Yes, I'm afraid not…" He says. "It seems no one really though that anyone else would catch it… So the ministers of Sanct Sybil hurriedly assembled a group of young, noble girls."

"You mean that I'm just one candidate of many?" I ask.

"Yes." Zain says to me.

"Best news I've heard all day." I say with a smile.

"May I ask what you are talking about?" Zain replies to me.

"Since there are others, the chances of me being the chosen bride will be smaller, thus increasing my chances of getting out of here with nothing to worry about. I can go back to my normal life and just hope this was nothing less than a nightmare." I say.

"You don't wish to be chosen?" Zain asks me.

"Of course I don't," I say to him. "For one thing, I'm confused to no end about being dragged into a different world. I was just a normal pastry chef working at a store up until yesterday. So the fact that I'm suddenly attending balls and marriage interviews with princes is completely unreal."

"I sympathize. I thought you'd like this experience, but it seems you wish to return to your normal life as soon as possible." Zain says, summing it up.

"Exactly." I say. FINALLY, there's someone who gets it.

"The ball will begin at 11 A.M. Please wait here until then." Zain says to me before leaving.

Eleven o'clock comes and goes, but the ball has yet to start. I also get the impression that there's far too few people for a party, amongst other suspicious traits.

Some time later, Zain comes back, and he says, "Sorry to keep you all waiting. Prince Ivan is here."

The girls around me start to twitter while I keep my mouth shut. I initially decide not to line up to make my intentions clear, but Zain gives me a gesture that tells me to go and join the other girls. I roll my eyes and line up.

Prince Ivan appears, leading his ministers and followers. He is, in fact, dignified and handsome, as usual, he has this sociopathic aura about him; no expression on his face at all.

"These are all you invited?" He asked.

"No, we invited a large number of people. But unfortunately, a cold is making the rounds through the ranks of young, noble ladies. So there were many cancellations…" The Minister says.

"Pitiful," Ivan bitterly says. "I wouldn't want an heir for Sanct Sybil from those weak specimens."

Hearing this, I grit my teeth and shoot him a glare.

"Social Darwinist…" I mutter bitterly.

"What did you say?" A girl beside me whispers to me.

"I said 'Social Darwinist'." I say, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"I've never heard anyone talk like that before…" She says to me.

"I'm no noblewoman, let's make that clear," I say, with a sigh. "I was dragged here."

"You mean you didn't want to come?" She asks me.

"Why would I want to associate with a Social Darwinist sociopath like him?" I ask in reply, but then I go silent, as I am afraid of other girls talking smack about me with my comments.

"So everyone gathered here is healthy." Ivan says.

"Yes." The minister replies.

"Then you will dance with me in order." Prince Ivan says.

Another dance?

Prince Ivan holds out his hand to the nearest noble girl, and she says to him, "It would be an honor to have you lead me in this dance."

She curtsies gracefully, then allows Ivan to lead her out into the middle of the dance floor.

"Alesha's from one of the most distinguished noble houses. She dances as gracefully as a butterfly." "Yeah, we'll have to be as elegant as possible if we're not to lose to her."

Me, I'll be doing the opposite.

I see Prince Ivan's lead, and it's extremely fast.

_'That creep! He's treating this more like a sport than a social dance…' _I think, angrily.

I see the indifference Prince Ivan has as he makes his way through the girls one after another. I notice that while he's not even winded a little bit, all of the girls are dropping like flies into the chairs and are dead tired.

My turn…

"So you came too?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"More like I was _brought_ here; I didn't _ask_ for this." I say objectively.

"Come and follow my lead, like you did last night." Prince Ivan says, grabbing my arm, and starts dancing to an intense rhythm.

I leave the lead up to him, and follow his advice from last night; squared shoulders, look him in the eye…

I see how handsome he is, but all I see is ugliness and ice underneath…

I think my bitter thoughts are taking over my mind, as I end up getting my feet tangled.

"Whoops." I say, calmly.

"What, you done already? Prince Ivan asks me.

"Don't be an idiot," I say, rolling my eyes. "I'm fine."

"Really? Then let's dance for another five minutes." Prince Ivan says.

I give him a smirk and then say, "Bring it on."

Even though I ended up dancing with Prince Ivan longer than anyone else, I don't end up the least bit out of breath. Then again, as a pastry chef, you need high stamina.

"Despite not really being able to dance, you fought well." Prince Ivan says.

"Please," I say with a scoff. "I don't even need to rest. I could have gone for an hour if you dared me to."

I am just _so glad _that this is all over and done with…

"Well done today." Zain says to me as I get in the car.

"Thanks." I say, stretching my arms.

"Are you leaving already?" Prince Ivan asks me, as he approaches.

"You came to see me off?" I ask him, surprised.

"It seems like there's a cold going around, so take care." He says to me.

What? He actually has a nice side?

"Okay…" I say, not impressed.

"It'd be a problem for me if my potential brides didn't have good health." Prince Ivan says.

"A problem? Really?" I ask, annoyed.

"Yeah. If you're not in good health then you can't bear me an heir." Prince Ivan explains to me.

I scoff and say, "Social Darwinist pig."

"What did you call me?" Prince Ivan asks, his eyes bugging out.

"Do I need to repeat myself? I said "Social Darwinist pig". Idiot…"

I understand that marriage is important in royals to continue the royal family bloodline, but does he have to be so… sixteenth century about it?

* * *

><p>I head home, feeling relieved to get away from that warthog…<p>

"Hi, Yosef!" I say, with a big smile as I come into the shop later that night.

"Oh, Carly, what's going on?" Yosef asks me. "Weren't you off today…?"

"Yes, but my appointment's done, so I thought I'd at least come in to help prepare for tomorrow." I say to Yosef.

"Aren't you tired?" Yosef asks me.

"Yes, exhausted, actually, but nothing stands between me and achieving my goals when the sweet smells of baking are in the air!" I say.

"Thanks, Carly." Yosef says to me.

Feeling like I'm back where I belong, I get back to work.

"Now to take out the trash…" I say, outside the store a little while later.

"Huh, Carly?" A woman with brown hair and eyes, wearing a pink shirt, and other jewelry says, as she sees me.

"May! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes today!" I say to May.

"You're still working at this hour?" May asks me, with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm quite late today." I say to May.

"I was worried. I texted you yesterday but I didn't get any reply." May says to me.

"Sorry, girl, but things have just been a bit zany…" I say.

May is an old friend of mine from back in my home country. While I work here at Patisserie Brown, May works at a fashionable boutique, and since we're still as good as friends as always, we keep in touch regularly.

"I thought maybe you were in bed with a cold…" May says to me. "I was going to stop by your place if I didn't hear from you."

"Thanks, I'm fine… Truth is…" I say, before going into detail of what happened.

"NO WAY! That really happened?" May asks me.

"Yep, it did, but my head's still a mess. I don't get what the marriage interview was about, why a doctor was there, and a dance… Ugh…" I say, rubbing my head.

"Who knows how these elite people think; I'm surprised you called Prince Ivan a 'Social Darwinist pig' right to his face. That part of you has gotten you into scrapes in the past, remember?" May says.

She's right… Listen, I've been told I'm a sweetheart – which, for a pastry chef, fits perfectly – but when I get angry, I get rude, and I don't hold back when I speak. I tell it like it is, but that attitude has gotten me into trouble before. I don't take kindly to people who act like Prince Ivan. I am just happy that it's all over…

Or so I think…

We hear the engine of a car, and I pull May out of the way, shouting, "Car's coming, May!'

"Whoa, thanks," May says. "Wow! That's a nice car."

A fancy car… Oh, no…

"Oh, no…" I say, as the car slows to a stop in front of us; definitely a Nobel Michel Castle car.

"What the heck?" May says.

"May, stall them! I'm heading inside!" I say, before beginning to retreat back into the shop.

"Wait, why?" May asks me.

"That car's for me! Why else would it stop in front of the store?!" I say to May. "I can't stick around or else something else troublesome is going to happen to me."

Just as I'm about to go inside, the man comes out of the front seat… But's it's not Zain.

He gives me a smile; he's tall, blond, and wearing a suit. I can also tell it isn't Ivan, either, but I recognize him from the party.

He opens the rear door, and out comes Prince Ivan.

"Are we there, Mikhail?" Prince Ivan asks his butler.

"Yes, we are." The butler, Mikhail, says.

Crud, they tailed me here!

"What do you want?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"I wouldn't come all the way to a place like this if I didn't have a reason, would I?" Prince Ivan asks.

Ugh…

"Are you… working?" Prince Ivan asks me, seeing what I'm up to.

"Yeah, I work here as a pastry chef. Got an issue with that?" I ask, giving him he stink eye and using my voice and body language to make him leave.

"See, Mikhail. This woman went straight back to work after the ball." Prince Ivan says.

"It seems so…" Mikhail said.

"And what's the problem with me working?" I ask, getting defensive.

"You've passed." Prince Ivan says to me.

"I beg your pardon?" I ask in reply.

"I like that robustness. Come with me to Sanct Sybil." He says to me.

* * *

><p><strong>Looks like I'm stuck sticking around with this guy for a while, yet… Next time, I learn more about Ivan and try my best to make my feelings clear to him… but he has other ideas… <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Prince Ivan wants me to go with him to Sanct Sybil Kingdom, and trust me, I am NOT HAPPY about it! I try to tell him to his face that I won't go, but I get dragged off anyway! What's his deal?! But I soon see there's more to Ivan than meets the eye, but something still stinks about this situation, and for once, it isn't rotting food products...**

* * *

><p><em><span>Turning Up The Heat<span>_

"You've passed." Prince Ivan says to me.

"I beg your pardon?" I ask in reply.

"I like that robustness. Come with me to Sanct Sybil." He says to me.

He begins to turn back to the car when I say, "Not on your life!"

Prince Ivan turns back to me and he asks, "What was that?"

"Are you deaf? I said 'no'!" I begin.

"C-C-Carly, c-chill out! You know that this attitude of yours has worked against you in the past! Don't tick off a royal!" May says, trying to placate me.

"No, May. I'm laying down the line here!" I say, before stepping towards Ivan. "Listen up! I have been dragged to two fancy parties against my will; I've been dressed up twice like I'm some kind of doll; danced with the likes of you _twice_, and _NOW_ you expect me to leave my life behind to go with you?! Fat chance of that happening! There is _no way_ that I'm going to even _think_ of associating with a Social Darwinist warthog like you! Is that clear?"

I give him my best glare, but Ivan stands his ground and his face does not change. We glare at each other for a few seconds, and then Ivan breaks the silence with a sigh.

"Mikhail," Prince Ivan said. "Make sure the owner knows she's coming."

"What?! I told you I wasn't going!" I say to Ivan, and I'm about to get in his face when May holds me back.

"C-C-Carly! I know you just told him to his face your feelings, but it doesn't look like he's listening…" May said.

"I have an appointment," Prince Ivan says, and then he gets back into the car. "Mikhail, you stay here and convince her."

The car drives back off to the castle, and I face-palm myself in annoyance. What a pain…

"Um… Maybe I should go before this gets any more complicated…" May said, before tuning on her heel and running.

She knows when to get out of a war zone… And Prince Ivan has _just_ declared war with me…

I go back inside the shop, with Mikhail coming me; as much as I want to just make sure my feelings are clear, it's hard to refuse a royal… Even though this is _me_ we're talking about…

Yosef comes into the storefront and I'm looking at him in concern.

"Can I help you?" Yosef asks us; I try to use my body language to tell Yosef to help me get away, but…

"Are you the owner of this store? My name is Mikhail," Mikhail begins, as polite as always. "I am the butler to Prince Ivan Chernenkov, first prince of Sanct Sybil Kingdom."

"What the…" Yosef begins; shocked, but that's to be expected. "What is someone from the castle doing here? Would you like to order a cake?"

That's the typical question out of someone working in this sort of situation, but he's going to be _floored_ with what Mikhail is going to ask him…

"The truth is that the prince has fallen for Miss Carly here…" Mikhail begins.

"Whaat?! Carly, is this for real?" Yosef asks me.

"Trust me, Yosef, I wish it _wasn't_," I say to Yosef. "But sadly, that's how things have gone down."

"Therefore…" Mikhail continued. "We urgently require her to come to Sanct Sybil Kingdom as a marriage candidate."

"Now hold it! I'm a pastry chef here at Patisserie Brown! There is _no way_ I am going to up and quit no matter what!" I say, while being objective with my tone of voice.

"That's exactly why I've come here to appeal to the owner," Mikhail says. Ugh, are all Sybilians this incapable of taking 'no' for an answer?! "We would like her to take temporary leave from the store. Would that be acceptable? Of course, we would reimburse you appropriately."

"Never mind the reimbursement… What about you, Carly…?" Yosef asks me.

FINALLY! There's someone who actually wants my opinion on this nonsense.

I open my mouth and I am about to say that I would never go to Sanct Sybil for a reason as ridiculous as this, when…

"Okay!" Yosef says; now hold it! "If this is the prince's wish, then I have no choice."

Yosef! You're supposed to be backing me up and trying to tell Mikhail to hit the road, not encourage him!

"It'll be hard for me to lose one of my top pastry chefs, but if it's for her sake…" Yosef says.

What's for my sake is telling this butler to beat it, not telling him to take me! I groan loudly and slump my shoulders while muttering, "This isn't what I expected you to do, Yosef…"

"Thank you," Mikhail says. "I will be responsible for taking her to Sanct Sybil."

"Please take care of her." Yosef says, with a big smile.

I didn't even get a say in this matter! I even told Prince Ivan my opinion to his face and yet I'm still being dragged to Sanct Sybil, a completely foreign country, one I know nothing about!

* * *

><p>I'm at the airport in the blink of an eye and May is there to see me off. I hate this…<p>

"I was shocked by how sudden it all was." May says to me.

"I'm the one who's most shocked though," I say. "Albeit I think 'angry' fits the situation a bit more right about now. You'd think my opinion would have mattered…"

"But isn't this a chance to marry into money? Go for it!" May says to me.

Not you, too, May…

"S-Sure…" I say, with a small eye roll.

As if I'm going to agree to be married to Prince Ivan! I'm going to make sure I make it clear and make _sure_ that Ivan shoots me down so I can come back here to Nobel Michel without a hitch.

Now, I know it sounds like I'm being a bit of a mean girl, but put yourself in my shoes, please? What would you be thinking if this sort of situation happened to you?

"Oh, I have a present for you. It's cold over there, so you can make good use of them." May says to me, while hanging me a box with gloves and earmuffs.

"Oh, my gosh! Cute gloves and earmuffs! Thanks, May…" I say to my best friend, then give her a hug.

"If you get lonely, just give me a call." May says to me.

"Thanks." I say, with a smile; I'll definitely need her at my fingertips at a time like this…

"And you better invite me to the wedding!" May says.

"Trust me, May, it won't come to that…" I mutter.

"May… It's not yet decided that Carly will be the prince's bride," Mikhail says. "She is just one of the candidates."

One of the candidates… That's the only thing about this situation that's reassuring to me. Maybe I can learn some things about Sanct Sybil and bring them back to Nobel Michel to use for the bakery.

However, I have this gut feeling that there's a detail about Mikhail that I am not picking up, and this is probably the one thing that is going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back…

* * *

><p>After we arrive in Sanct Sybil, I'm brought o the castle right off the bat.<p>

"Geez, it's cold… Even though I'm prepared for it." I say; I have more pressing priorities than sticking around and being a trophy wife for some prince.

"It's an island. The ocean currents and the wind affect the climate quite differently from the mainland." Mikhail says to me.

"But it's surprising how warm it is inside the castle in contrast." I say to Mikhail.

"In this country, heating every corner of your house is a status symbol," Mikhail explained. "Even the corridors and unused rooms are heated."

"Wait, isn't that a financial and energy waste?" I ask Mikhail. Talk about a poor financial and fuel-economic choice.

"If we didn't do so the doors and windows would freeze shut," Mikhail explains to me. "As long as you're inside the castle, I don't think you'll notice the cold."

Again, like I said before, I know nothing about Sanct Sybil… but I'm worried this is only the beginning…

"Carly," Mikhail says. "This is Ivan's study."

Nuts… Now I have to face that blond-haired warthog head on again…

"Okay…" I say, trying to keep calm and not lose my cool, pun intended.

Mikhail opens the door and leads me in, while saying, "Ivan, excuse me. I've brought Carly."

I take a deep breath and gaze at Prince Ivan, trying to be as confident as possible. I notice how his hair seems to shine amongst the tones of the room. He gives me an intent gaze and then I look up, trying to give him my most direct eye contact.

"You really came…" Ivan says to me, quite surprised.

"More like I was _dragged_ here. Against my wishes." I say, crossing my arms, trying to make it clear to Ivan that I did not want to be here.

"It's already late today. I've still got work to do so first go and rest in your room." Ivan says to me.

"I shall show you to your room." Mikhail says to me.

I roll my eyes in annoyance of how limp Prince Ivan's greeting was.

I'm upset by his attitude, and I leave the office with my blood boiling.

"This will be your room." Mikhail says, while showing me to a large, and very luxurious room. This room is like something out of a five-star hotel…

"Here?" I ask, in surprise.

"Is something the matter?" Mikhail asks me.

"No… I just think the size…" I begin, but…

"My apologies, I shall prepare a larger room at once." Mikhail says, and I see that he's a bit flustered.

"Don't be an idiot," I say, with a sigh. "This is just fine; I was just surprised at how big it is."

"Oh, I see…" Mikhail says, ignoring my comment about not being an idiot. "If there's anything you need, then I am at your service."

"Thank you so much." I say.

It's nice to see that not all Sybilians are as ice cold as the winters here. Now if only that warthog Prince Ivan was more open to my feelings…

"Then before you rest, please take this," Mikhail says, pouring something from a pot waiting on the table, and into a mug. "We don't want you to catch a chill, so please drink this to warm up."

He hands the mug to me, and I smile. A sweet smell drifts up, and I relax a bit.

"Hot milk? Thank you!" I say, before taking a sip. Nice and warm… just what I've needed, and in more ways than one.

This situation is making me very tense, but I'm going to try to make sure Ivan understands that I want to leave.

"You must be tired, so please take it easy for today." Mikhail says to me.

"Thanks, I will." I say, with a big smile.

"Goodnight." Mikhail says.

I wake up the next morning, feeling like I'm in an unfamiliar setting. I sit up and hold my head, only to realize where I am.

"Right… I was dragged here to Sanct Sybil…" I say, before hearing a knock at the door.

"Good morning, Carly." Mikhail says, coming into my bedroom.

"Morning… Argh… Sorry, I'm still in my pajamas." I say, as I get out of the bed.

"Don't worry about it, everyone is when their butlers come in the mornings." Mikhail says to me.

"Regardless…" I say, about to sigh in annoyance once again.

"If it bothers you, then please use this gown." Mikhail says, handing me a gown.

"Thank you…" I say, changing into the gown.

Mikhail lays out my breakfast, which is something I am so happy to have.

"Thank you!" I say, sitting down.

"First, here's some tea to wake you up." Mikhail.

He offers me a strong kind of tea, and while it wakes me up, I feel like choking on it.

I think how hard a butler's work is, but I let it go, and ask the dreaded question.

"Mikhail, what sort of person is Prince Ivan?" I ask him; I refrain from calling the prince a 'warthog' in front of his steward.

"He is a great man," Mikhail says; is he blind?! "He has incredible authority, but he's also fair. Although… he can be rather taciturn."

"It's not just with me? Nice to see I was right about him being cold – pun intended." I say.

"Yes, he's the same with everyone, not just you," Mikhail says. "Since I am in his emply, it's important not to get myself fired."

That makes me both relieved and a little upset…

After I finish eating, I'm called into Prince Ivan's study. What does that warthog want?

I decide to go in and try to be as polite as possible in the beginning, and then knock him down a peg.

"Hello, Prince Ivan." I say, in an authoritative tone, as I walk into the study.

"Oh! She's finally here! It is you, right?" An older woman asks, as she and two others start talking.

"Well, she's pretty young. And pretty cute, too." The second woman says.

"Ivan's not to be underestimated." The third woman says.

"You barely say a word and yet you still seem to do well for yourself." The second woman says to me.

"She's got a pretty face…" The third woman says. "You should and make her smile a bit more."

Three, beautiful, blonde girls surround me as soon as I walk in, and I am overwhelmed.

"Carly, I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Mikhail says to me, coming into the study.

"Mikhail? Explain the women, please?" I ask, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"These young ladies are Prince Ivan's sisters, Lady Olga, Lady Tatiana, and Lady Anastasia. They're all already married, so they don't live in the castle." Mikhail says to me.

"Ivan's sisters, huh? Makes sense…" I say, trying to be as sweet as possible.

"Makes sense?" Olga asks me.

"Your hair," I state. "Your stunning, blonde hair is that of Prince Ivan's."

"Oh! You do know how to flatter a girl!" Tatiana says.

"We were surprised when we heard that Ivan was finally bringing home a bride." Anastasia says.

"When you marry Ivan, then we'll be four sisters!" Olga says.

"Excuse me, but I have no…" I begin, trying to get a word in edgewise, but they just keep going.

"Yay! I'd be happy to welcome a cute girl like you!" Anastasia says to me.

I look at Mikhail, with an eyebrow twitching, and Mikhail is wearing a resigned expression. I guess they always talk a mile a minute… I'm just glad they don't hate me, and that's just from what they're saying.

"Anyway, we feel relieved now that we know what kind of girl Ivan's chosen." Tatiana says.

"Yeah, now we can go back home with peace of mind." Olga says.

"I am _not_ going to ma…" I begin, but…

"Oh, since we're here, shall we go for tea somewhere?" Anastasia says.

"Ooh, yes! Mikhail, could you drive us?" Olga asks Mikhail.

"Of course." Mikhail says.

"The next time we see you, Carly, will probably be at the engagement party, right?" Tatiana asks me.

"I keep trying to say…" I say, because engagement is the last thing I want to think about, especially not to that warthog.

I watch the sisters bustle out and I face-palm myself.

"Carly, please follow me and I'll show you around the castle." Mikhail says, before going through the tour of the castle.

I decide to just tune out because I intend on getting out of here at the closet chance I get.

"This corridor connections all the rooms. If you get lost, just come back here." Mikhail says to me, but I just shrug.

He shows me to a room, and he says, "This is Ivan's private suite."

Crud…

I see Prince Ivan relaxing in his elegant, burgundy-themed room. He's sitting on a sofa next to the fireplace, and he has two huge dogs sprawled beside him.

"Ivan, Carly is here." Mikhail says.

"Thanks. You can go." Prince Ivan says.

"Understood. Excuse me." Mikhail says, before leaving the suite.

I finally get to see him and I intend on telling him exactly what I'm thinking. I'm about to open my mouth and spout off my anger at him, when…

"What are you doing? Come here." Prince Ivan says to me.

"No." I say.

Ivan sighs and he then comes over to me and pulls me over to the sofa; I try to fight it, but he won't let me go.

As I am brought closer, I get a better idea of just how big the dogs are.

"Those dogs are huge. What breed are they?" I ask Ivan.

"They aren't dogs. They're wolves." Prince Ivan says to me.

Wolves? WOLVES?! What kind of royal idiot keeps wolves?! Idiot!

"Real wolves? Are you joking?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"No, I'm not kidding." Prince Ivan says.

"Idiot! Aren't they dangerous?!" I ask him, not happy.

"They've grown up with me since I was a child. There's no danger." He says to me.

I sigh in relief and say, "That's okay, then…"

I look at them and see that they aren't scary at all. One is calmly lying with its head on Ivan's lap, and I relax.

"Wanna pet them?" Prince Ivan asks me.

I flinch a bit, but then relax, before asking, "Where do I pet them?"

"You're a brave girl. Not bad." Prince Ivan says to me.

He takes hold of my arm, but just as I'm about to break free and give him a good growl…

"Don't be scared, just stroke around his head." Prince Ivan says.

"Fine…" I say, patting the wolf's head, as instructed. It's coarse fur, but it's nice and warm under my hand.

"The grey one's Urey. He's a boy. The white one's a girl, and her name is Snieg." Prince Ivan says to me.

"Urey and Snieg… It's nice to meet you." I say, trying to relax.

"They're really intelligent. They'll remember you now." Prince Ivan says to me.

Trust me, they might not forget me, but as soon as I leave, I'll try to forget _everything_…

I see a peaceful smile on Prince Ivan's face while he strokes his wolf's head. I guess he isn't as stone-hearted as I thought…

But wait, what am I thinking?! This warthog is the one who had me dragged here without my opinion being considered!

"How'd you end up keeping wolves?" I ask him.

"We take them with us when we go hunting. They can easily bring down a wild boar." He says to me.

"Hunting, eh?" I ask, with a smile. In my home country, hunting isn't unheard of.

"Yeah. Sometimes I bring back rabbits or deer for dinner. You can come in the next hunt." Prince Ivan asks.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Okay, yes, it's natural for him to go hunting if he has wolves for pets, but…

As far as I'm concerned, I have no intention of sticking around…

* * *

><p>Later, as he had said, Prince Ivan takes me out hunting. I try to be as disinterested as possible, but he seems not to notice.<p>

"We go by horse from here." Prince Ivan says.

"Horse?" I ask; I'm familiar with horseback riding…

"Yeah." Prince Ivan says, and he nimbly and gracefully mounts his horse.

I effortlessly get on my horse, too, and I smirk in victory.

He sets off, his wolves behind him. Oh, please… as if I'm going to let this guy beat me. I snap the reigns and have the horse dash in front of Prince Ivan's. He shouts in surprise as his horse stumbles back from my speed.

I have the horse stop a few feet away, and I make it rear up in its hind legs while I say, "Yee-haw!"

I see how his platinum blonde hair is beautiful, glowing in the dim forest, but I ignore it for the moment.

He directs his horse to come up to me as I have the horse go back down on all fours, and he says, "You've done horseback riding?"

"Sure have," I say. "This is a piece of cake. Besides, getting lost in a snow-filled forest would land me in hot water."

"Yeah." Prince Ivan says, with a sudden smile. This is out of nowhere…

I'm a little spooked at this, because this is the only time I've ever seen a change in his facial expression. I won't say it to his face, but that smile makes him look kind of cute.

No, no, no! Carly, don't get swept away by this warthog!

~Ivan's POV~

She was certainly not happy about meeting me. She called me a 'warthog'… This has never happened before, but I let it go. She will probably stop calling me such things once the wedding is over. With this woman as queen, there won't be any issues for Sanct Sybil's future. Now if only she wasn't so… adverse to the idea of being a queen. All girls would love to life the life of luxury that Sanct Sybil's queen gets, but this woman…

As I'm about to go and hunt, I ride my horse as I always do, but the woman rides her horse quite quickly and dashes in front of me. She has the horse rear up on its hind legs, and I am dumbfounded by how easily she outran me and she was acting kind of wild and crazy… How unbecoming of the future queen.

"You're quite different from a noble lady." I say to her.

"Excuse me," She says, with a bit of an attitude. "But I'm not a noblewoman. I don't know much about dancing or manners or all of that junk, so if I'm causing trouble for you…"

I cut her off and say, "You don't need to apologize. Everyone's like that at first. You can gradually come to learn the social etiquette of the royal family."

I ride straight and tall as I go ahead, but I fail to catch what this woman is muttering under her breath, but from the tone of voice, she was not happy.

That was something puzzling…

~End of Ivan's POV~

I am floored by how understanding and fair this guy is; I just silently follow behind him while he's riding, and he soon comes to a stop.

"Don't move…" Prince Ivan says, readying his gun. I swallow a lump in my throat.

I notice how tense his figure is and I realize how many sides of seen to this guy… Following his faze, I see a deer, and I'm worried about him shooting it.

I hope venison is kosher…

"No good." Prince Ivan says, putting his gun down.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"If you look closely, you can see she's a mother accompanied by her fawns." Prince Ivan says.

"Nice eyesight." I say.

"It's important for a royal to make a clear assessment of a situation," Prince Ivan explains to me. "It's an implicit rule not to hunt animals that are rearing offspring."

"Nice to see you don't have the heart to shoot her and pretend not to notice that detail." I say, crossing my arms.

"A member of the royal family can't do something so cowardly." Prince Ivan explains to me.

I think it might have been a nice thing that I came out to hunt. Now I see there's more to Ivan than I thought.

* * *

><p>At dinner, it's just me, and Prince Ivan. Since his sisters don't live in the castle anymore, I didn't expect to see them here. However, I fail to notice his parents.<p>

After asking him, I learn that his father is often away on diplomatic visits and the like while the Queen passed away a long time ago.

"So you're basically alone while the King isn't here?" I ask him.

"Yeah." Prince Ivan says to me.

"Ever get lonely?" I inquire to him.

"Never." Prince Ivan bluntly states.

"Today's soup is borscht." Mikhail says, as he places a bowl of soup in front of me. It's a vibrant red color.

"This red color is from the beetroot used in the soup, right?" I ask Mikhail.

"Yes, that is right. Go ahead and try some." Mikhail says to me.

I take a spoonful and I say, "It's so sweet..."

"It's extra nutritious," Mikhail says. "It's one of the important dishes for dealing with the cold in this country."

"This is delicious." I say, as I start to eat the soup.

"I'll pass on your compliments to the chef." Mikhail says.

I start to chat with Mikhail while Ivan seems indifferent to us.

"I went hunting with Ivan today. _Totally_ outran him on the horse." I say, before laughing.

"Sounds good." Mikhail says.

I can tell from the tone of his voice he isn't too interested, so I keep my mouth shut.

"Why do you work, even though you're a girl?" Prince Ivan asks me.

That question sort of touches a nerve, and I ask him back, "The better question is why are _you_ asking such a male-chauvinist question?"

"Are you so poor that you have to work, even as a woman?" Prince Ivan asks me, ignoring my comment about the question being 'male-chauvinist'.

"I don't know what kind of junk you're slinging, but it's not a money issue for me," I say to him. "Besides, I have goals I want to achieve, and if you want to do that, it takes hard work and determination to do it."

"If your goal is to make sweets, can't you do that at home?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"I intend on bringing smiles to the people who eat my baked goods." I say to him, before taking up my glass of water.

"Really… Then do you have a boyfriend?" Prince Ivan asks me.

I spit water out in surprise and I start coughing; what the heck?!

"What's the matter?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"Why ask something like that out of the blue?" I shoot back at him.

"Well?" He asks me, trying to get an answer.

"There's such as thing as called being 'career-driven' and that's what I am. I put my work and my goals on the front burner, my love life in the back, so I don't have a boyfriend." I say to Prince Ivan.

"I see. So that's why you're so strong-willed…" Prince Ivan says to me.

"I can't tell whether or not that's a compliment." I say, crossing my arms.

"Do you like this country?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"I haven't seen much, but it seems like a wonderful place." I say.

"Really? Then there's no problem…" Prince Ivan says.

"Actually, there is…" I begin, getting his attention. "The only thing preventing me from having a good time is _why_ I ended up getting dragged here in the first place."

He looks at me with wide eyes, but ignores my comment.

"I'll be holding a party this weekend. I'd like you to attend too." Prince Ivan asks me.

"What?! Okay, fine…" I say, before propping my head upon my hand. I look in another direction…

Now that it crosses my mind, the other candidate brides… I haven't seen them yet. There's something suspicious about that, but… I ignore it for the time being. If there are other girls at the party, I just hope there's someone there he'll choose as his fiancé. Because no matter what he says or does, it won't be me…

* * *

><p>After a few days, Mikhail is giving me a history lesson on Sanct Sybil. History and English were always my better subjects.<p>

"And that's the history of Sanct Sybil Kingdom." Mikhail finishes.

"Sanct Sybil Kingdom was originally created from the merging of a federation of smaller states. But doesn't that cause some internal disputes?" I ask Mikhail.

"Yes, and that's why the King is always absent; you're quite smart." Mikhail says to me.

"He goes to try and quell those oppositions and calm those situations down while Ivan holds down the fort here in the capital while the King is gone?" I ask.

"Correct." Mikhail says.

"That Ivan's pretty incredible…" I say, but my tone of voice is somewhat bitter.

"And he might be even busier from now on…" Mikhail says to me.

"Another conflict?" I ask.

"No, that's not what I meant," Mikhail says. "Oh, it's almost time for lunch. It seems that you'll be eating together with Ivan, so let's go to the dining hall."

I sigh in annoyance… I only see Ivan during meals, and in the lull time, I'm calling the bakery to see how things are going.

Things haven't exactly been well since I've been gone, which is why I'm going to get out of here as soon as the chance comes.

* * *

><p>At the party, I'm wearing a floor-length dress, perfect makeup, and high heels. I'm getting the hang of this sort of thing, and Mikhail's been teaching me. As always, I pick this up in a snap.<p>

"Why hold such an expensive party while the King isn't around?" I ask Mikhail.

"He holds them _because_ the King isn't around. It strengthens ties with the nobility." Mikhail explains to me.

Figures…

"Time for Ivan's speech." Mikhail says to me; I look to Prince Ivan.

"The signs of internal dispute in our country continue, and my father, the King, is traversing the land to deal with them. In order for our royal family to provide a foundation to unite the nation… is has been decided that I shall soon marry." Prince Ivan says, and then a murmur spreads through the crowd of nobles.

I sigh in relief; so he's already chosen a bride… About time. Now I can leave. Just as I'm about to turn and leave the hall…

"Go on then, Carly." Mikhail says, taking my hand and leading me up onto the stage with Prince Ivan.

"Now hold on…" I begin.

"This woman is my fiancé, Carly," Ivan says to the ministers. "She may be a foreigner, but she is fit to be my bride. I hope you will all respect that and welcome her."

**_WHAT?!_**

A cheer rises from the crowd and I am floored. He's chosen on his own that I'm his fiancé?! Last time I checked, I'm only one candidate of many… unless…

I then come to terms with Mikhail's behavior at the airport. He was lying!

I give him a glare, and he flinches back a bit.

"Congratulations, Ivan and Carly." Mikhail says.

"Mikhail." Prince Ivan says.

Mikhail brings out a small cushion to Prince Ivan. On it is a glittering ring, and I see how beautiful it is.

"I give you this ring as a token to welcome you as a member of the Sanct Sybil royal family." Prince Ivan says, before taking my right hand in his own.

He is about to slip the ring on, and just as I'm about to smack it away with my other hand, he gets it on my finger. I see it has the family crest on it.

It's protocol for pastry chefs to _never_ wear rings while they're working. By law, the only exception is a wedding band. For me, a ring is foreign, and I just stare at it.

"It's beautiful…" I accidentally let slip.

"I see you like it." Prince Ivan says to me.

Prince Ivan then raises my hand to show the audience the ring, and I feel like something is definitely going to go wrong…

"Congratulations, Prince Ivan!" "For the glory of the Sybil dynasty!" "And the prosperity of our nation!"

Hearing everything, my blood starts boiling, and I feel like snapping and turning my emotions loose right now. I hold it back though… But it won't be forever.

* * *

><p><strong>And now I'm engaged - albeit against my will - to Prince Ivan! But I won't stand for it forever! As far as I'm concerned, I won't hold back. I'm going to holler my feelings to Ivan to get through to him if its the last thing I do! <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**I blow my top at Ivan and call him a 'cockroach' right to his face. I'm so angry that I intend on walking out, but the weather prevents me from leaving. And what's with this whole 'I can't make a woman work' junk?!  
><strong>

**Contains a song-fiction of "Bats" from "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic"**

* * *

><p><em><span>Winter Volcano<span>_

Prince Ivan then raises my hand to show the audience the ring, and I feel like something is definitely going to go wrong…

"Congratulations, Prince Ivan!" "For the glory of the Sybil dynasty!" "And the prosperity of our nation!"

Hearing everything, my blood starts boiling, and I feel like snapping and turning my emotions loose right now. I hold it back though…

**_"IVAN!"_** I holler, as I barge into Ivan's suite after the party; I'm breathing heavily in anger.

"What's the matter? You seem upset." Prince Ivan said.

"Darn tootin!" I shout. "You went and got us engaged without my opinion on the matter!"

"And what are you unhappy about?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"Are you serious?! I'm angry about the whole thing!" I hiss.

"It won't cause any damage to you," Prince Ivan begins. "You get the title of Queen, and get to live in luxury without any worries."

What…?

"My ministers and I govern the country. The Queen's job is just to appear in public smiling next to the King. If making sweets is so important to you, you can do it as a hobby," Prince Ivan says. "I don't intend to forbid you from having fun. I'm giving you a life that anyone would be envious of, where you'll be looked after. What part of that are you dissatisfied with?"

"Idiot…" I say. "Maybe it's a life I _don't want_, and I want to look after _myself_. Don't think I'm like other women! Not to mention getting engaged means that we'll be getting married, right?"

"Obviously." Prince Ivan says.

"Is this what marriage is supposed to be?" I ask him.

"What are you trying to say?" Prince Ivan asks me.

This warthog!

"Marriage is supposed to be about exchanging vows with the person you love!" I say.

Prince Ivan surprises me with his next words, "Is love necessary to govern a country? If you want a love affair, then you can have one with another man."

Is he kidding me right now?!

"If you want the affection you speak of then you can seek it with someone else. As long as we fulfill our duties as husband and wife, and you as Queen… I'll have no complaints." Prince Ivan says to me.

**_WHAT?! HE'LL ACTUALLY _LET _ME PROMISCUOUS LIKE THAT?!_**

"I didn't choose you because I love you," Prince Ivan says. "I'll say it so there's no misunderstanding. I don't love you."

Hearing what he's saying is turning my anger levels up to the maximum, and I won't stand for it.

"The reason I chose you is because you possess a strength that the noble girls lack," Prince Ivan says to me. "You hate to lose, you're bold enough to deal with any situation. It's funny how lucky it was that you caught that bouquet."

"More like **_BAD LUCK!_**" I holler.

"Since you're an ordinary person from a foreign country, you don't have all the extraneous obligations that come with fellow nobles. The family that welcomes the bride must treat them accordingly. But that will also invite the discontent of the other nobles. With you, however, there won't be any unnecessary complications. That will decrease some of the trouble." Prince Ivan says, ignoring my 'bad luck' comment.

This… Warthog… No, he's _worse_ than a warthog…

"You debut is done. Now you're free to relax in the castle," Prince Ivan says. "If there's nothing else, then you can go."

After that, I snap.

_"Oh, so that's all I am to you?! A tool for your government?! Just a trophy wife and baby-maker?!"_ I begin hollering, and then I get into his face.

"W-What?" Prince Ivan says, surprised at my reaction.

_"Listen up! You want a Queen? Go find someone else! Because this is a promise I'm making right now: I WON'T be Queen! Is that clear?!" _I start blowing up. _"You're going to have to settle with someone else, because your Queen will **NEVER** be me!"_

"What are you so angry about?" Prince Ivan asked.

_"I was told that I was one candidate of many, but then I learn the hard way it was all a lie! You didn't even ask my permission, and I gave you so many hints, obvious and otherwise, that I didn't want this! And yet you go and make a choice without my consent!" _I yell at him, tears streaming from my eyes.

Prince Ivan seems shocked by what I'm saying, so I decide to hurt his ego in a really big way.

"In the beginning, I thought you were a social-Darwinist warthog… But I see you're worse than that… You're not even _decent_ enough to be called a 'pig'… You… You… **_COCKROACH!_**" I shout.

~Ivan's POV~

When she came storming in, she was livid. I didn't think she'd be so angry with this. And though I explained to her my reasons, this only seemed to have made things worse. Apparently, she did not like the fact her opinion wasn't considered, and she even called me a 'cockroach'.

"Cock… roach?" I ask, a bit shocked.

"Coming from me, that'd better hurt!" She says, pulling me by the front of my shirt. "You know what cockroaches are from a bakery standpoint? _VERMIN_. And that's what you are in my eyes! _Vermin! A pest!_ **_SCUM!_** From a pastry chef, that's a **_huge insult_**, so take it to heart!"

She lets go and she runs out of the room, in tears. I didn't expect _that_…

~End of Ivan's POV~

I run back to my room in tears, angry and sad, feeling that I wasn't respected as far as what I wanted goes, and to _think_ that I thought he had a nice side to him… That roach. I decide to walk out on him, leaving the ring behind, and prove to him that I won't be Queen.

I barge back into my room, and I shout, "Mikhail! Could you book me a flight back to Nobel Michel please?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Mikhail tells me.

"Oh, so is Ivan _so_ dead set on having me as his queen, even though I won't let it happen, that he's ordered the palace guards not to let me leave?!" I shout, quite angry.

"I'm afraid that Ivan isn't the cause of this; look outside." Mikhail says to me.

I calm down; I think that this is probably a weather issue. I look out the window, and I see everything is obscured in white.

"Sheesh, what a blizzard," I say, before shuddering. "But this isn't too big of a deal… Or is it?"

"Not really, but at the same time, yes. These kind of sudden snowstorms occur at times during this season." Mikhail explains.

"How long can they go for?" I ask him.

"At minimum, three days, and the longest can last for a week," Mikhail explains to me. "Families can starve or freeze to death if they don't stock up on enough fuel and food."

"That's horrid…" I say; more out of sadness for the families than anything.

"That's the kind of harsh environment Sanct Sybil has. Caught unaware, and both your heart and soul can freeze, which is why the members of the royal family must have a fierce strength of heart." Mikhail says to me.

"Doesn't give Ivan an excuse to be such a male-chauvinist cockroach…" I say to Mikhail.

"Is that what you honestly think of him as?" Mikhail asks me.

"Yes," I say with a nod. "I admit that there's more to him than that, but I will _never _be the Queen of such a male-chauvinist man."

* * *

><p>The storm just goes on and on while I'm stuck in Sybil Fortress, with nothing to do. I <em>have<em> been keeping up with the happenings back in Nobel Michel by calling Yosef and I've been chatting and venting to May. And May, as always, is there to lend an ear for me. Especially since I'm going to do what I've been known for: singing rants…

_"Ivan Chernenkov will give you a fright! With his permanent scowl on, day and night! He's selfish and cold, unthinking; he didn't consider my feelings!" _I sing over the phone, losing my cool, and remembering the conversation I had with him the other day.

_"He only cares about the country; only thinks me a tool. For a cockroach like that, that's NOT COOL!" _I sing in anger.

May sings back to me, and sings, _"Hold on a sec, Carly. There's another side to this. And if you didn't look through his eyes, then you would be remiss. Ivan's got a lot work on his shoulders, true. He holds the future of the country, and he needs a wife, too."_

_"Oh, don't make me puke! You're being too kind! That Ivan's got a one-track mind! I'm not happy being cooped up day in and out, and to get through to Ivan, can I not shout? NO! I CAN'T! And that is just a fact; Ivan doesn't know how modern girls act!" _I sing.

_"That's where I have to disagree; that's probably family loyalty. He's going to be king, and he has his pride…" _May begins, in song.

_"I don't care what he wants: I won't run or hide!" _I sing in anger. _"He's tall, and scary, and cold as ice! What was I hoping for, a side that's nice?"_

_"I'm sure he has a nice side; Carly, just wait and see…" _May sang.

_"I don't need to stick around: I've seen everything." _I sing.

A red version of myself comes out of my body, and she looks quite angry, before singing, _"Well I for one, haven't a doubt; when the snow's gone, let's get out!"_

A green version of me comes out as well, and she sings, _"I second that! We've got to go! Come on, we need to hit the road!"_

_"It comes to this, and yes, I have to shout; he's crossed the line, it's time that we get out!" _I sing.

_"Let's get out! Let's get out! Let's ditch this place, with no doubt! Let's get out! Let's get out! Let's ditch this place, with no doubt! Let's get out! Let's get out! Let's ditch this place, with no doubt!" _The other two side of me sing together.

_"It comes to this, and yes, I have to shout. He's crossed the line, it's time that we get out!" _I sing, before breathing.

"So you're going to leave at the next chance you get?" May asks me.

"Yes." I say.

"Anyway, I gotta go. See you later." May says.

"Okay," I say to her, before May and I hung up. "Ugh… I'm bored."

Time's been going at a slug's pace and I'm getting anxious, sitting around with nothing to do. I decide to do what I do best: bake! I head to the kitchens.

* * *

><p>As soon as I enter the kitchen, the scent of baking wakes me up and cheers me up to a high degree.<p>

"Excuse me. Is the person in charge here?" I ask.

"Carly! What on earth are you doing coming here like this?" The head chef asks me.

"What? A pastry chef can't enter a commercial kitchen?" I ask, a little upset and confused; I calm down and become polite again. "Anyway, are you the one in charge of the kitchens?"

"Yes, I am…" The chef says to me.

"I'm feeling a little restless; being stuck in my bedroom day in and day out isn't good for me, so I was wondering if I could help out with anything. I'm a pastry chef back in my own country, so I can make sweets, and I'm also a good cook. I could even wash dishes." I say, with a big smile.

"That's out of the question!" The head chef says to me. What? "I can't allow the future Queen to…! And I couldn't make a woman work."

The 'woman' and 'future Queen' nonsense thing again?! Ugh… I inwardly groan and I subtly roll my eyes. Is it really such a bad thing for women to work? What kind of society _is this?!_

"Please go ahead and relax in your room." The chef says to me before pushing me out the door.

I then scoff and say, "I guess I'll take a walk around the interior."

The Fortress is huge, and so a good walk is more than possible with the size of this place. I decide to try not to think of that cockroach Ivan. I look at the paintings and carvings that decorate the corridors, and I see how beautiful it is. If I wanted to, I could take photos of these and bring them back to Nobel Michel to use as inspiration for my sweets… But then again, I probably would not be able to.

"Now let's get this bit spotless." I hear a boy say.

I turn and see two boys in the corridor, cleaning.

"It's good that the corridors here are so warm." The second boy said.

"Didn't you know? Prince Ivan decreed that even the corridors should be heated." The first boy said.

"Huh? I had no idea." The second boy said.

"He saw that the water bottles we left out froze, and thought that it must be tough to work like that." The first boy said.

This is surprising to me; I heard that the halls are heated, but I was not made aware that it was Prince Ivan's idea.

"Ivan's strict, but he's not unfair." The second boy said.

"Yeah, I actually think he's a kind person." The first boy said.

The boys' talk surprises me, and I'm a bit lost for words. How can a man who asserts love isn't necessary in marriage be a kind man?! I subtly roll my eyes at this.

"Since they needed more boiler engineers to heat the corridors, my parents were able to get work." The first of the boys said.

"So we've gotta work hard to pay him back for it." The second boy said.

"Yeah!" The second boy said.

I see that the kids love Ivan, but I myself want to puke at the mere thought of him right now… I don't think they'd be able to respect him the way they do now if they knew what he said to me… A man who thinks of his marriage partner as nothing less than a tool… What a cockroach…

I keep walking through the halls, and I soon run into Mikhail.

"Oh, Carly. Good timing," Mikhail says to me. "It's time for dinner."

"Okay… Am I eating with Ivan today, too?" I ask Mikhail.

"Of course." Mikhail says, with a smile.

"As if I want to eat with that cockroach…" I say, before sighing. "Just bring my dinner to my room…"

I'm about to turn around and go back to my bedroom when…

"You! Look what you've done!" I hear an angry shout coming from far off down the corridor.

"Seems like there's been some trouble." Mikhail says to me.

"Then what are we standing around here for?! Let's go check it out!" I say.

"I don't think it's anything you need to concern yourself with…" Mikhail says to me.

I roll my eyes and take off down the corridor to find the source of the scuffle.

I see a nobleman scolding his own servant; I immediately walk over and calmly inquire about the situation.

"What happened?" I ask.

"O-Oh, Carly! It's nothing to trouble yourself with…" The noble says, but just as he's talking, Prince Ivan appears from out of nowhere.

"I'll hear what's going on." Prince Ivan says.

Crud, not this cockroach…

"Prince Ivan…!" The Noble says, obviously freaked out.

He explains that he's looking after a painting to present to Prince Ivan, but the servant and his mishandling ruined it.

"It's a rare painting from Oriens Kingdom, and very sensitive to water," The Noble says, quite flustered. "And yet he went and tried to wipe it down with a damp cloth!"

"Why did you wipe this painting with a damp cloth?" Prince Ivan asks the servant.

"I wasn't aware it wasn't waterproof… I was just wiping down the tables, and I was told to clean the picture…" The servant explains.

"Even so, who on earth would take a picture out of its class case to clean it?!" The Noble shouts.

I understand what's happening: the noble forgot to explain to his servant that the painting isn't waterproof. I see on the one hand, the servant messed up, but at the same time, the noble was vague about the instructions. I'm about to speak up when…

"I understand," Prince Ivan says. "I think you're both at fault here."

"Whaat?!" The noble asks in surprise.

"You told him to wipe down the picture, correct?" Prince Ivan asks. "And your servant here mistook that to mean the painting itself. And you failed to explain that this painting isn't waterproof."

"Yes…" The noble admits.

"And as a servant, you… It's good to be loyal, but you should not blindly follow your master's orders… You need to think for yourself a bit more." Prince Ivan says.

Impressive… I didn't think he'd be able to pick up on that so easily.

"Y-Yes, Prince Ivan. I'm sincerely sorry," The servant says, remorsefully. "I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit."

The servant then bows deeply to Prince Ivan; I'm about to protest on the grounds that the whole situation was an accident when…

"Is a punishment necessary?" Prince Ivan asks.

What? Is he being serious?

"The penalty for damaging a treasure of Sybil Kingdom is harsh," The nobleman says. "This calls for a suitable punishment…"

"A suitable punishment?" Prince Ivan asks. "Right… After the snowstorm has blown over, you will help in the gardens with the snow shoveling for a full day."

"T-That's all?" The servant asks; just what I was about to say…

"Did you think I would take your life over a single painting?" Prince Ivan asks.

"No… I didn't… Prince Ivan, you're very merciful…" The servant says, quite surprised.

Great minds think alike, it seems… I'm thinking the same thing, albeit not in the best of lights right now.

"And I think your master should face the same punishment." Prince Ivan says.

"I-I as well?" The noble asks.

"Wasn't it your vague instructions that caused the ruin of someone else's gift for me?" Prince Ivan asks. "And from the looks of it, you could with some exercise. It's good to get moving every now and again. Do you think it's all right for a noble who is called up to fight in times of crisis to be so out of shape?"

I nearly laugh at that comment, but I swallow my giggles.

"N-No… I understand." The Noble says.

"Then that's settled," Prince Ivan says. "After the storm, the two of you will clear the snow."

"Y-Yes!" The servant says.

"Understood." The noble also says.

Ivan's authority surprises me right now; it's completely out of nowhere…

"What are you doing, standing there?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"Eh?" I ask.

"Were you coming for dinner?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"_NO_, I was going to have Mikhail bring my dinner to my bedroom," I say, firmly. "But I will say this: I'm impressed."

"Then what did you think of me up until now?" Prince Ivan asks me. "Am I still a cockroach to you?"

"Yes, but back on topic: I'm amazed that you can deal with problems like that." I say.

"Honestly, I don't care about that picture. It's not a life or death thing," Prince Ivan says. "But if by administering punishments I can get them to own up, they can let things go."

I don't know why, but those words stir something in my heart. However, it's nice to see that he and I actually agree on something for once. I'm not sure whether or not it's being rational, or it's an honor thing, but it's not bad. Why can't he think like that when it comes to marriage?

* * *

><p>The storm is finally over, but it leaves behind mountains of snow. The sunlight that is reflecting off the snow shines brilliantly into my room, and I'm already wide-awake. It's only six in the morning, too.<p>

I find that I'm thirsty, so I go to the kitchen to get some water. I pass by Prince Ivan's study and I see that there's light filtering through the door, and it's open up a crack.

I take a look inside, and I see Prince Ivan.

"Ivan…?" I ask, quite curious.

"What are you doing awake?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"Can't exactly sleep when the sunlight is intensified by the snow," I state. "But more importantly, what are _you_ up to, with all of that…"

He has a weapon strapped to his waist.

"The uprising is so bad that my father can't suppress it himself," Prince Ivan explains. "I'm going as a military commander to help deal with it."

"What?! You're going to battle?" I ask.

"Yeah, that's my job." Prince Ivan explains to me.

"Now that I think about it, you mentioned that noble needed to go to battle when called for. That applies here, doesn't it? It's because you're the prince that you're going to battle, right?" I ask.

"Exactly." Prince Ivan says to me.

I am lost for words when I hear this, and I say, "It's going to be hazardous."

"I know that much." Ivan says to me, looking very grim.

"What if something happens to you?!" I ask; I don't know why I'm so worried about him…

"Do you think I'm foolish?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"Yes and no," I say. "I know you're not foolish in your job, but you can be a bit of an idiot in other areas."

"Just wait here until I come back." Prince Ivan says to me.

Under normal circumstances, I'd protest, but considering that I have no clue about military combat, I can't protest, so I just nod.

"I'll pray for good luck in battle." I say to him.

"Thanks." Prince Ivan says.

I wonder if I can do anything for him; all I can really do is make sweets, but with that thought, something hits me!

"Aha!" I say, snapping my fingers.

"What is it?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"At least could I make you some pastries or such?" I ask him. "The energy boost from the sugar will help out with fatigue in battle…"

Prince Ivan sighs, and he says, "I appreciate your concern, but the winters in this country are harsh. Even moving food around can be a challenge. It's hard to even ensure we have bread in a war zone. I'll be eating the same things as the soldiers. If, in the midst of all the chaos, I was seen to be eating luxurious sweets…"

I cut in and say, "Then the morale would be negatively affected?"

"Yes, exactly," Prince Ivan says to me. I'm surprised by how harsh the winters are in this country. "You just stay in your nice, warm, room."

"Fine…" I say, before leaving the study.

Ivan is so darn hard to read! There are times where he catches me off-guard with more sides to his character, and times where his verminous sides just make my blood boil.

After Ivan's speech, I back off, but the food situation is still bugging me a bit. I decide to go to the kitchen for inspiration, hoping to make something out of items that they can't use.

I see a large stack of boxes in the corner, and they're filled with potatoes.

"Carly, what are you doing in the kitchens… Your clothes will get dirty." The chef says.

"As a pastry chef, getting dirty is part of the job, albeit you need to be as sanitary as possible. I'm also not that concerned about clothes right now," I say, before going straight to the question. "By the way, with all the potatoes, can't the soldiers take them to eat on the battlefield?"

"Potatoes take time to prepare for eating," The chef says to me. "They also require fuel to cook them. Even pre-cooked ones are hard to preserve. Bread is their main food, which can be eaten without the use of fire and doesn't spoil."

Okay, so that rules out the potatoes…

"This year's potato crop was a good one," The cook said. "They'll rot if we don't use them up quickly…"

There's another stack of boxes I see in the corner, and I notice there are apples in there.

"It was also a good year for apples; I wanted to turn them into jam, but we're short on staff." The chef said.

Then an idea hits me!

"May I use a portion of the potatoes and apples?" I ask.

"Of course, but why on Earth…?" The cook asks me.

"I want to help Prince Ivan… May I borrow the kitchens; I promise I know what I'm doing." I say to the chef.

Just because Prince Ivan's reasons for turning down my offers to help are good doesn't mean I'll give up. I'm a pastry chef; I'm trained for this type of baking scenarios.

I stew apples and boil potatoes while I get out sugar, eggs, and flour. There's plenty of starch from the potatoes themselves…

At the end of the day, I go to Prince Ivan's suite. I knock on the door and ask, "Ivan, can I come in?"

"Do you need something?" Prince Ivan asks, as I come inside.

"You're leaving tomorrow, so I wanted to give you these." I say to Ivan, and present the plate.

"These are… sweets…?" Ivan asks me, a little surprised.

"Yes, they're donuts." I explain.

"Did you not listen to what I told you? If I'm seen to be indulging, I'll lose my authority…" Prince Ivan insists, but I groan as he gives me an angry glare.

"Listen up; wasn't this year a good one for potatoes and apples?" I inquire to him.

"Well, yes, but…" Ivan begins, but I hold up my hand to tell him to stop.

"The kitchens had too many of them," I explain. "Rather than let them all go to waste, I took the extra and made these. I added eggs, flour, and sugar to boiled potatoes to make the dough and then I wrapped it around stewed apple and baked it. It took some time due to their size, though. The cooking time was also shortened."

"You…" Ivan begins, but I bonk him on the head.

"Just shut up and try them. I did my best not to use any unneeded supplies." I state.

I see Prince Ivan looking at me with a curious expression on his face, and he finally says, "I'm grateful for your efforts. But what's in it for you to make all these? Aren't sweets something you make in your spare time?"

I change the subject, and say, "Sweets aren't a staple food like bread, I know that, but the smiles they bring to people are what counts. The least you could do is try one."

Prince Ivan takes a donut and eats in one bite. After that, he reaches for another, and Prince Ivan goes over and over again until there's nothing left on the plate. That's usually a clue that they were good.

"So?" I ask, trying not to sound conceited.

"Not bad… next time, try toning down the sweetness." Prince Ivan says.

"That's more like it," I say to Prince Ivan. "Taste-test them again for me the next time, would you?"

"You have a lot of nerve, using a royal as a taste-tester." Prince Ivan says.

"Excuse me, but royal or not, the important thing is that I needed someone to try them…" I say, getting on the defensive.

I see that Prince Ivan's frown is softer, and then he says, "It's fine. As long as it hasn't wasted food, I can treat the soldiers to it."

"I'll work hard to make more." I say to Prince Ivan.

"Do what you like." Prince Ivan says to me.

He tone isn't reproachful, but the way he says is it quite curt…

"Anything else I can do?" I ask.

"Hm… You could take care of them." Prince Ivan says, indicating the wolves.

They raise their heads to look at me, and I get a little nervous.

"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Mikhail," Prince Ivan says. "They don't seem to like him. They can also be quite hard to look after. They seem attached to you, however, so you probably won't have any problems."

"I'll take care of them as best I can." I say.

"Thanks. Urey! Snieg!" Prince Ivan says, calling the wolves' names, and then they come over to him. "She's going to be looking after the two of you while I'm away. So be good. Don't make any trouble for her."

"Are they naughty at times?" I ask.

"Hm… Well, I guess it depends on you." Prince Ivan says, but I roll my eyes.

"H-hey, Snieg, Urey. I'll look after you." I say, as I pet the wolves.

"That's right, just like that." Prince Ivan says to me, as I pet them correctly.

* * *

><p>Since Prince Ivan has left for the battlefield, I'm making the potato donuts day in and day out. This is more like it; I hate being cooped up in the bedroom for days on end. I have the messenger he sends to the castle delivering the donuts to Prince Ivan. He also is quietly giving me letters from Prince Ivan as well.<p>

Although the letters are only formal in the beginning, they're starting to be become more personal. He's mentioned that the soldiers love the sweets I've been making, the fact that he had gotten a cold, etc. I don't know why, but I've started to eagerly await the next letters.

"Carly, I've brought a correspondence from Prince Ivan." The messenger tells, giving me a letter from Prince Ivan.

"Thank you," I say, taking the letter. "Here's the resupply of sweets. Do you mind?"

"Not at all!" The messenger says to me, taking the basket.

"Prince Ivan says that he can't indulge himself while in such harsh conditions." I say to the messenger.

"It's fine! Prince Ivan is a member of the royal family." The messenger says to me.

I subtly roll my eyes at this comment. I still think the idea of me being married to someone like him is enough to give me food-borne illness, but I hold my tongue.

"As the commanding officer, I think it's fine for him to indulge a little! And yet he insists on sharing the same food as us. Cold bread and canned food… And to be ready in a state of emergency, he's not drinking any alcohol." The messenger tells me.

"Isn't it dangerous to fight while intoxicated anyway?" I ask. "That Prince Ivan is really busting his chops out there on the battlefield."

"He really is thinking of his men, and fighting for them. That's why I'd be really happy to have the role of bringing him even a meager amount of pleasure." The messenger says, with a bright expression.

I feel like the impression I have of Prince Ivan is changing; especially after that blow-up I did in front of him.

* * *

><p>That night, I was in my room, writing a letter to Prince Ivan.<p>

"Time to write a letter… 'Ivan… things are the same as always back here… Snieg and Urey are listening to me. Urey hates being brushed, but Snieg seems to love; it's probably a girl thing…' Now, what else can I write…?" I say to myself.

An idea comes to mind, and I start to blush out of embarrassment and disgust when I write it down.

"Okay… 'I'm waiting for you to come home'. Ugh, humiliating… However, _yes_, I want him to come back, but that's only because the sooner he comes back the sooner I can get out of here…" I say.

I put the letter in an envelope and hold it out to look at it. I hate feeling so conflicted. While I am loathsome towards Prince Ivan's views on marriage, I also admire his fairness and willingness to put himself on the same level as people below him.

~Ivan's POV~

It's been pretty rough here on the battlefield, but that's to be expected in a war zone. I've been receiving letters and resupplies of sweets from her. She's been sending me letters, giving me progress reports on everything at Sybil Fortress. From her letters, Urey and Snieg have been responding well to her.

I open up one letter from that woman, and I read it over. I smile a bit when I read that Urey and Snieg are listening to her and Snieg loves being brushed.

However, one sentence does jump out at me. _'I'm waiting for you to come home'_

I feel my face heating up from her letter, and my eyes widen a bit.

"Ivan? Ivan!" One of the soldiers shouts at me, waving his hand in front of my face. I shake my head and snap myself out of my daze…

Why do I feel my heart skipping beats…?

~End of Ivan's POV~  
><span>

* * *

><p><strong>Things are starting to get intense… Next time, I run into a familiar face and I get to see Ivan face to face on the battlefield… only to get caught up in a night of booze with Ivan?! <strong>  
><span>


	4. Chapter 4

**I meet up with Prince Sieg of DresVan Kingdom, and I'm happy to see a familiar face and a prince that has common ground with me. It makes me feel less alone… But when we go visit Ivan, rather than him getting angry, he flips the script and he asks me to drink with him! I start to get to know Ivan a bit more as I feel more comfortable...**

* * *

><p><em><span>Ice-Cold… Or Not?<span>_

"Carly," Mikhail says to me. "Today Prince Sieg, from our ally DresVan Kingdom, will be visiting. Please be there to greet him." Mikhail told me one day.

"I will." I say; it will be nice to see a familiar face like Prince Sieg.

When I enter the study, I see Sieg, in his uniform, standing there.

"Huh? Are you… that pastry chef girl who caught Ivan's bouquet?" Sieg asks me.

"That's a surprise that you remembered…" I say, not expecting him to remember me.

"I might have, but…" Sieg says. "I heard the rumors about Prince Ivan choosing an ordinary pastry chef girl as a potential bride."

"Figures…" I say; news gets around fast with the nobles…

"So how's it going? Think you'll go from being a candidate to his bride?" Prince Sieg asks me.

"To be honest, I hope it _doesn't_ come to that…" I say, but there's something going on in my heart that's telling me that's a partial lie…

"Ivan's the tight-lipped kind of guy, but he must have opened up to you?" Prince Sieg asks me.

"He went off to battle; we didn't really get a chance to talk. Not like I _wanted_ to…" I say. "All I can really do is send him sweets and letters…"

"Sweets?" Sieg asks me; are all royals like this?!

"I'm a pastry chef; what'd you expect?" I ask with a smile. "It's all I'm really capable of right now."

"What sweets do you send him?" Sieg asks me; I look at him with a smile. So, he's the kind of guy who likes to know what a girl does?

"Just some simple donuts with fruit on the inside. The dough itself is made from potatoes while there's stewed apple inside." I explain. I'm about to go into the seasonings, when…

"That sounds interesting. Are you making them right now?" Prince Sieg asks me.

"I was about to." I say with a smile.

"All right! As a sign of friendship from an ally, I'll help you." Sieg says to me.

"Are you serious?" I say, with a big smile on my face.

"I sure am. I'm sure you prefer making sweets rather than boring conferences and falling asleep at tea parties." Prince Sieg says to me.

"Definitely the former." I say with a smile.

"There you go." Prince Sieg says to me.

I don't know whether or not he's trying to skip out on his meets, but it's nice to have help.

"Don't worry, I'm quite knowledgeable when it comes to cooking. I won't get in your way," Prince Sieg says. "Come on, let's go."

I follow Sieg into the kitchen. Prince Ivan wouldn't even _eat_ what I made or otherwise, and setting foot in the kitchen is out of the question for him.

Just like I thought: just like ordinary people are all unique, so are all royals. It's nice to see that I'm not alone.

"Prince Sieg, I need you to chop the potatoes." I say.

"Right!" Sieg says, wearing an apron and cutting the potatoes like a professional.

After we finish making the donuts, he and I each try one.

"Great work." Prince Sieg says to me.

"Thanks," I say. "But these ones are better than normal."

"That's because I helped you make them." Sieg says to be, a bit arrogantly.

I let it go for the time being.

* * *

><p>We head back to the study and then we see a soldier that had come back to the Fortress.<p>

"Prince Sieg, Lady Carly! I have good news. The uprising is starting to die down!" The soldier says to us.

"So the situation is calming down." Sieg says.

"Yes, with Prince Ivan as our commanding officer, we quickly dominated." The soldier says.

"Then there should be no problem with me going out to visit him." Prince Sieg says.

"But… if by any chance something were to happen to you…" The soldier began to protest.

"Sieg's in no more or less danger than Ivan is if he goes!" I say, putting my hand up.

"Carly's right," Prince Sieg says in agreement with me. "As the prince of DresVan Kingdom, my visiting Ivan is about showing Ivan's legitimacy both internally and abroad. There's plent of value to be gained from my visiting him."

I sweat drop at the depth of a meaning for such a visit, and I'm worried about else he had in mind.

"Then it's decided that I'll go?" Prince Sieg begins, but I cut in.

"Um… I have a favor to ask you…" I say to Prince Sieg.

"What is it?" Sieg asks me. "If it's the donuts, don't worry. I'll take responsibility for their delivery."

I appreciate what he's saying, but then I state what I want from Prince Sieg.

"Are you nuts?!" Prince Sieg says to me, but I just give him a look that says that I'm not insane, but I am actually dead serious.

Sieg takes the hint and then he nods before telling me, "Okay."

Sieg takes me to the town that is nearby the frontlines; he has me hide in the shadows while in my winter wear while started talking to Prince Ivan.

~Ivan's POV~

I'm in my quarters when my friend, Prince Sieg, comes for a visit.

"Hey, Ivan. I came." Prince Sieg says.

"You sure look smug about that." I say, smiling.

"Just be happy to see me!" Sieg says to me, before the two of us shake hands.

"No matter how stable things seem, this town still isn't far from the frontlines." I warn Sieg.

"Well, you say it's not far, which means it's not actually on the frontlines, right?" Sieg asks me. "So that's why I brought someone else along with me."

Someone else? That's the first I've heard of that…

"I wasn't told that anyone other than you would be visiting… Don't tell me you brought that frivolous Altarian prince?" I ask Sieg, hoping Oliver didn't tag along.

It's a big enough pain to deal with Oliver in formal events like that party where I met that woman, but…

"Nope. It's someone even more surprising. Come out!" Sieg says, and then out comes… _her?!_

~End of Ivan's POV~

On Sieg's cue, I come out of my hiding spot; I lean against the wall, my arms crossed, a sultry look in my eyes, and say to Prince Ivan, "Been a while, Your Highness."

"Y-You…! What are you…" Prince Ivan says, quite surprised.

Just what I wanted; I go in front of Ivan, cross my arms, and smirk. However, I'm also prepared to get a tongue-lashing from him.

"Listen up; I was losing my patience, so I forced him to bring me along." I say, objectively.

"Geez. You're crazy…" Prince Ivan says to me.

"I'm the one who allowed her to come. If you're going to get angry at someone, it's gonna have to be at me as well." Prince Sieg says.

"Well, you're here now. You can stay the night." Prince Ivan says.

What? He's not mad.

"You're not angry…?" I ask him.

"If I was angry at you, I'd have to get angry at Sieg, too." Prince Ivan explains, before sighing, while Sieg grins.

Oh, so he's flipping the script on me, now?!

"That's good, right, Carly?" Sieg asks me.

I change the subject and ask, "You're not hurt, are you Ivan?"

"Until a few days ago, the battle was still raging and I had no time to sleep. I'm a bit tired, but thanks to the soldiers, I'm fine." Ivan explains to me.

"That's good," I say, albeit my tone is that of someone with authority, before I hand Prince Ivan the basket. "Here's the resupply of sweets."

"I helped make these ones." Sieg says.

"Sieg's great in the kitchen; he was a real help." I say, with a big smile; I want to tell Ivan to his face that a man who won't let a pastry chef do her thing is no man at all.

"They're even better than usual. The dough is perfect." Prince Sieg says.

"And how do you know how they taste?!" Prince Ivan asks, getting angry in the face.

"It's common sense for the person making them to check if they've come out right," Prince Sieg says. "Don't pull that face; you'll scare Carly. Or could it be that… you're jealous?"

Jealous? Prince Ivan?! I don't think that cockroach can feel a thing other than anger…

"No way…! That's ridiculous." Prince Ivan says.

I see Prince Sieg is only smiling at Prince Ivan's angry face; I fight the urge to roll my eyes and I just let it go.

* * *

><p>That night, Prince Ivan asks for me; if he's going to chew me out, I'm going to bite back and chew <em>him<em> out.

"What do you want, Ivan?" I ask, clearly annoyed.

"Tomorrow I'm returning to the frontlines." Prince Ivan says to me.

"I didn't think it was over." I said, telling him that I knew the situation.

"You're right. If we don't completely crush the enemy now, they'll just cause trouble again later." Prince Ivan says to me.

"Like a rat's nest," I say, making a connection. "If you only get rid of one rat, then the others will take over."

"Exactly," Prince Ivan says. "So tonight is the only time I have to relax."

"And that's relevant to me, how?" I ask.

"Join me in a drink." Prince Ivan says to me.

BEG YOUR PARDON!?

He pulls out a hip flask, and I then chew him out.

"Now hold it! You'll get a hangover if you drink now!" I say.

"You can get drunk off this much?" Prince Ivan asks, as he looked at the flask in curiosity.

What the huh?!

"You're a heavy drinker, aren't you?" I ask, slapping myself in the face.

"My country's people can drink a lot more compared to those in other countries…" Prince Ivan says to me. "I guess I'd get drunk if I had a whole bottle of vodka to myself."

"Like I said, a heavy drinker…" I say, shaking my head in annoyance.

"I guess. Anyway, drink with me." Prince Ivan says.

"Oh, no! No way!" I protest. "I only touch alcohol if I need to use it in a dessert."

Somehow, he convinces me to drink with him anyway, and I've never drunk vodka straight up…

I put the flask to my lips, and taste the vodka. There's this sensation of burning that goes all the way down into my stomach, so I choke on it.

"*Gack* *Cough* *Sputter*" I end up choking.

"What, you can't handle it?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"Idiot! I can't drink straight vodka! I only come in contact with alcohol when it's called for in my baking…" I say, after wiping my mouth.

"I'll get a mixer; maybe if you drink it mixed in a cocktail, it might be easier on you." Prince Ivan says.

"I'm going to drink what you're drinking…" I say, stopping him.

"Just take it slow, then…" Prince Ivan says.

"That's a promise." I say, putting down the flask.

Prince Ivan then takes a big swig of vodka straight from the glass. Isn't that an indirect kiss…? Oh come on, Carly! Indirect kisses? That is SO high school…

"What's the matter? You already feeling the alcohol? Your face is all red." Prince Ivan asks me.

"It's nothing…" I say, trying to keep my face straight.

"How are things at the castle?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"Nothing in the way of changes." I say.

"Are the wolves okay?" Prince Ivan asks.

"They're fine, albeit they'll slip out of the castle and go to the woods time and time again…" I say.

"Really? That's just like them." Prince Ivan says.

"Urey licked my hand." I say.

"Yeah? He must really like you." Prince Ivan says in reply.

"I _am_ looking after them day in and day out." I say.

"It seems like you've been doing exactly as I asked." Prince Ivan tells me.

"They make me feel safe." I admit.

"I was right to entrust them to you." Prince Ivan says, with a nod.

"Thanks… But…" I begin, but I start to get dizzy…

"I hate being useless in a war zone…" I admit out of nowhere; what I was really feeling was coming out…

I hate being stuck with nothing to do or help Ivan out. It's become a pain…

"Then why don't I teach you martial arts when I come back to Sybil Fortress?" Prince Ivan asks me.

Whether or not he's joking around, I don't know, but I have no intention of letting it get to me.

"I'm holding you to it; no injuries or excuses!" I say.

"Heh, well, I'll hold you to it, too." Prince Ivan says; I notice he has a large smile on his face, but it's wavering.

Uh-oh… Am I drunk?!

"Hey, your face is pretty red; are you okay?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"I'm probably drunk…" I say, feeling the pain.

"You can get drunk on that much? That's efficient." Prince Ivan says, cheekily.

"You're the one who has too high of an alcohol tolerance, you idiot…" I say.

"Why do you want to match my drinking? If you can't handle it, don't push yourself." Prince Ivan says.

"I'll be fine… If I'm with you…" I say, with labored breathing.

"I don't understand." Prince Ivan asks me.

It's the alcohol, I know it, but all the thoughts I've had locked in my heart are leaking out.

"I've felt really helpless… Being dragged to a foreign country against my will… I've been treated well, but with you away, I had no one else to turn to. I was all alone…" I say. "If I can feel some of what you feel, I'll be fine…"

"You…" Prince Ivan says, blushing. Either the alcohol is getting to him, or he's embarrassed.

"Ivan… are you…" I begin, but I end up being overcome by a wave of fatigue and I fall asleep.

~Ivan's POV~

She ends up falling asleep in the middle of the conversation. I see both the bed and the sofa. Being trained in manners, I pick her up in my arms and bring her to the bed. I lay her down as she sleeps.

I look around, and I see the only place available is the sofa; I decide to take the couch because it wouldn't be fair to her.

As I lay on the bed, I think of everything she's said to me since we've met. She's pretty much thrown mostly insults at me… But considering that I dragged her here without permission, of course she'd be angry.

~End of Ivan's POV~

* * *

><p>The next morning, light streams through my eyes. I rub my eyes, stretch, and then sit up.<p>

"Ugh… Morning already? And why am I in the bed?" I say, but then I remember. "Ugh… Now I remember. I fell asleep in the middle of talking to Ivan…"

"You're awake." Prince Ivan says.

"Ivan!" I shout, before flailing my arms in surprise.

"You have a lot of nerve, making a prince sleep on the sofa." Prince Ivan says in annoyance.

"You took the sofa and let me have the bed?" I ask.

"I had no choice but to carry you there after you fell asleep during our conversation." Prince Ivan says, a smile on his face.

I slap myself in the face and then angrily say, "Why didn't you have _me_ sleep on the sofa and _you_ take the bed if you're so miffed?"

Ivan flinches for a second, causing me to smirk, and then he says, "You must have been tired after coming all this way to see me. Being in an unfamiliar land, you must be nervous, even if you aren't aware of it."

What he's saying is telling me that he's _FINALLY_ coming to grips what I've been feeling.

"And then there was the alcohol you're not used to drinking. It's no wonder you fell asleep." Prince Ivan says, while sitting on the edge of the bed, and running a hand through my hair.

I flinch at the cold from his hand.

"And now I get to see the rare sight of a girl with messy hair." Prince Ivan says, with a smile.

"Is it that bad?" I ask.

"I'm kidding." Prince Ivan says to me.

"Don't be mean…" I say, rolling my eyes.

"I just wanted to tease you a bit," Prince Ivan says, his eyes gazing into mine. I start to feel my heart thumping, and I can't respond. "What? Cat got your tongue?"

"Very funny, Ivan." I say sarcastically.

Prince Ivan hesitates and then he says, "I'll be heading straight out to the front lines. I don't have much time, so I'm going to change here… well, don't mind me."

"What kind of idiot says something like that?!" I say to Ivan.

"Pass me that shirt." Prince Ivan says, ignoring my comment.

I groan before giving him the shirt he asked for. I turn away as Ivan does not hesitate to strip off all his clothes and pull on the fresh shirt. I get a glimpse and I see something on his back.

I see an injury on his back, and I see that it's grazed and the scab is there. I see it isn't that big, but a wound is a wound is a wound.

"This jacket's difficult to get on…" Prince Ivan says.

I go over to him and try to help him out.

"Sorry. Maybe it's because I was hit on the shoulder, but I can't twist my arm around." Prince Ivan tells me.

"Isn't it protocol to go back to the castle in situations like this?" I ask.

"What would the soldiers do if their commanding officer runs off?" Ivan asks me.

"You're right…" I say, in defeat.

"Plenty of soldiers are fighting while still having this injury. I'd be labeled a coward and morale would be affected if I complained." Prince Ivan says.

"Fine…" I say, sighing in annoyance.

After I help him get his arm into the jacket, Ivan gets the rest of his clothes on without a hitch; I myself have my back to him…

"I'll be going." Prince Ivan says.

"Okay…" I say.

I don't know what to say to him, but my brain is conjuring up things like 'I don't want you to go' or 'Please come back safely', and even 'Please take me with you.' I can't put these into words, and it's not like I'm in any qualified position to go to war.

"Ivan, excuse me. Its time to go." We hear the general say from outside.

"Yeah, I'm coming now," Prince Ivan says, before turning to me. "See you. Take care on your way back."

"I will… You too." I say, not knowing if I could say anything else.

* * *

><p>Two weeks later, I'm still back at the Fortress and the letters Ivan has been sending me stopped coming last week, and I'm getting worried things are getting worse back out there.<p>

However, I come across Mikhail whispering with a soldier in the hallway about something.

"Prince Ivan's condition…" I hear Mikhail say.

"It's not… life-threatening… but…" The soldier says in reply.

I dash over to Mikhail and I say, "Mikhail! What's going on?!"

"Carly! …What did you hear?" Mikhail asks me.

"What's this about Prince Ivan's condition and it not being a matter of life-or-death?" I ask, becoming stern.

Mikhail and the soldier look at one another before Mikhail turns back to me.

"Well… The horse Prince Ivan was riding took a stray bullet… right?" Mikhail explains, and then tries to get it confirmed by the soldier.

"That's right." The Soldier replied.

"The horse died, and Prince Ivan was thrown off. But it's been reported to me that it wasn't a serious accident." Mikhail explains to me.

"That is correct!" The soldier says. "A-Actually, do you have anything for Prince Ivan today…?"

"Whoops… I'll bring the sweets and letter right now." I say, getting the idea that they weren't telling me the truth.

Mikhail is going to get interrogated about it from me later.

In my room…

"Mikhail," I begin. "There's something I need to ask."

"Yes, what is it?" Mikhail asks me.

"It's about Prince Ivan earlier…" I begin.

"It's just as I said," Mikhail tells me, then changes the subject. "Anyway, the weather has calmed down recently. Now would be a good time to return to Nobel Michel, wouldn't it? It seems like it will be a while before Ivan can return to the castle… Didn't you say you wanted to return home?"

He's right… I've wanted to go home for a long time now… But for some reason, I can't bring myself to leave.

"I did, but…" I begin.

"Then I shall make preparations at once…" Mikhail says, but I stop him.

"I'm not leaving." I say, cutting in.

"Are you sure?" Mikhail asks me.

I swallow a lump in my throat and say, "I was asked to look after Urey and Snieg. He'd be livid if I just ditched the work he entrusted me with."

I can't lie to myself… I'm worried about Ivan. I want him to get back here A.S.A.P.

"I understand… but… You were so desperate to go home before… even going so far as to compare Ivan to scum," Mikhail says. "You've changed a bit."

"Have I?" I ask, confused; I certainly haven't noticed.

After a long time, Prince Ivan is coming back to the castle.

I see him coming down the long, straight road to the castle; he was riding on his horse. I notice his wrist is bandaged, and I feel tongue-tied; what do I say!?

I wait out in front of the castle, nervous.

"Welcome back, Ivan." Mikhail says.

"Yeah, sorry for being gone for so long." Prince Ivan says.

"Welcome back…" I say, trying to keep my voice down.

"Thanks… you waited for me at the castle, too?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"Yes… These two…" I say referring to the wolves beside me.

"You're not here as a pet-sitter," Prince Ivan says to me. "You're as strange as ever."

That annoys me, and I say, "Excuse me! But strange is who I am and I like it! And anyway, I keep my promises."

"I guess you have a strong sense of duty," Prince Ivan says to me. "But that kind of dedication's not a bad thing."

Nice to see he and I agree on something for once…

"Later, you can tell me everything that's happened while I've been gone." Prince Ivan says to me.

I merely nod, and I don't know why, but my heart's swelling!

I'm in Ivan's room that night, with Urey and Snieg at my side. This was on Ivan's request, but in all honesty, I'm aware that his meetings aren't over yet if he's this late.

Snieg pricks up her ears and stands up.

"Snieg? What's the matter?" I ask.

Urey also stands, and both wolves look towards the door. The door opens, and then the two wolves dash towards the person in the doorway. And as I thought, it's Prince Ivan. The wolves leap at him with such force that they nearly knock him down; he opens his arms to them.

"Haha, you two sure are lively. Hey Snieg, you've put on weight. We'll have to exercise you tomorrow." Prince Ivan says, as he greets the wolves affectionately while they fawn over him.

I roll my eyes in amusement while crossing my arms and giggling.

Ivan certainly enjoys their attention, and unlike me, they haven't seen Ivan at all.

When the wolves finish their greeting, Ivan looks at me, and says, "You've cared for them even better than I expected."

"I just did what was necessary, no more no less." I say.

"They're hunters. What they really need is companionship, not looking after them. I've been away before, but they've never welcomed me back like this," Prince Ivan says. "They probably weren't so lonely with you here for them."

"Then I kept my promise." I said, with a shrug.

"Yeah. So I have to keep mine, too." Prince Ivan says.

"Eh?" I ask, but then I remember something…

"I promised to teach you martial arts after I came back to the castle." Prince Ivan tells me.

"Oh… right, you did," I say, but now I'm worried... "You weren't pulling my leg?"

"No, I wouldn't forget," Prince Ivan says to me. "I fought my hardest so that I could keep my promise to you."

Prince Ivan then gives me an intense gaze, and I shudder at his look. The fact he even fought to keep his promise to me made me a little uneasy. But I swallow a lump in my throat before saying, "Bring it on."

"Then we'll begin practice first thing tomorrow." Prince Ivan says, enthusiastic.

I sigh a little bit at this.

* * *

><p>The next day, Prince Ivan takes me out to the forest behind the castle; he did make a promise, but I thought he was joking around.<p>

"Now we shall begin your intensive martial arts training," Prince Ivan says, before handing me a bow and arrow. "I'm going to teach you this."

I take the bow and I examine it thoroughly.

"Of course, these days, most battles are fought with firearms, but there's no need for you to train seriously for that." Prince Ivan tells me.

"No kidding; I don't think I can handle holding a gun without screwing up." I say.

"With archery, you can begin learning it like a sport. I thought that close combat weapons such as swords wouldn't suit you." Prince Ivan tells me.

"I'm not gentle. Trust me, I can handle a kitchen knife, but a sword…? What a stretch." I say.

"Well, you must be the only one who thinks that." Prince Ivan says.

"What makes you say that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Anyway, let's begin. We'll practice pulling the bow without fitting the arrow." Prince Ivan tells me.

"Like this?" I ask, pulling on the string.

"Open your arms a bit more." Prince Ivan says.

"How's this?" I ask.

"Yeah, that's it. Remember how it feels. Now let's try fitting an arrow." Prince Ivan says.

I take an arrow, and I get ready. On his orders, I use my right hand to pull the bowstring and the arrow at the same time.

"This way?" I ask.

"No. Turn your body this way, and your hand this way." He says to me, as he stands behind me and takes my hand to show me how to pull the bow.

The fact that he's so close and I can feel his body heat through our clothes is causing me to blush. I try to ignore it and listen to Ivan.

"Put your strength into your left hand as it supports the bow, not your right hand pulling the string." Prince Ivan says to me.

"Check." I say, listening to Ivan.

"Now release your right hand." Prince Ivan says.

"On it!" I say, and then I let go; the arrow shoots out, but… it doesn't travel far before falling head-first into the ground.

"Would've gone farther if I had thrown it." I say with a groan.

"You're probably right," Prince Ivan says. "For now, let's practice getting it to that tree over there."

Thanks to Prince Ivan's training, I manage to get the arrow to the target after what seems to be an hour. But now my arms are burning like crazy every time I pull the bow.

"You've gotten the hang of it." Prince Ivan says to me.

"Yeah…" I say, breathing.

"Well then…" Prince Ivan says, with a smile.

"Is that it?" I ask.

"What are you talking about? Next is shooting from horseback." He says to me.

My jaw drops and I start to spout off anger.

"Now hold on! I could barely shoot to the tree, I can't do it on a horse! Sheesh!" I shout, but his scary face it turned on me.

"How can a member of the Sanct Sybil royal family not even manage that?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"I'm not a royal!" I shout in protest.

His expression changes, and he goes "Pfft…"

"Okay, what are you laughing about?" I ask. "Don't tell me you were joking?!"

"No… yesterday you sounded so serious when you said you were looking forward to it. You were so committed… I wanted to see how far you'd go… heheh…" Prince Ivan says.

"Idiot! You said it with a straight face; I couldn't tell!" I say.

"Your face… that was so funny." Prince Ivan says.

"Geez, your fault!" I say, scoffing. "Give me a break…"

I wave my hands around, forgetting that I'm still holding the bow, when…

*Shwoosh* *Fwump*

"Gah!" I shout, as my bow hits the tree, and the snow that's piled on the branches comes falling down. Most of it falls on Ivan's head…

"Oh god! Ivan! You okay…?" I ask, a little worried.

He doesn't say anything, and I stand there, petrified. Covered in snow, he rapidly walks towards me.

"Now Ivan… no pun intended, but chill out…" I say, as he comes over to me, silent and expressionless.

He closes the gap between us, and I end up with my back against a tree.

"Um… Ivan…?" I ask, scared.

He is so close to me, that I can feel his breath. My heart then leaps.

I'm scared because he's a master of the poker face and I can't read his face.

"Ivan…" I say.

~Ivan's POV~

"Since you were rude to a royal, you'll receive a fitting punishment." I say to her.

I don't think getting hit in the head with snow is really being rude; she didn't mean it, anyway, but… I'm having fun for some reason.

She closes her eyes and she's shaking; she's freaked out.

I bend down and get some snow from the ground, and then I drop it on her head.

"Payback." I say.

"Whoa, cold!" She shouts, freaking out.

"Hmph… That's not enough." I say.

"It's plenty! Idiot!" She shouts. She still calls me that?

She then takes off, running.

"Hey, wait!" I shout after her.

"No!" She shouts back, but then she trips in the snow.

My chance.

"Okay, you just wait there quietly." I say.

"My foot… it's stuck!" She shouts.

"I'm coming…" I say, as I try to sneak up on her, when… I end up tripping, too.

"Ivan!" She shouts at me.

"Bleh…! Snow in my mouth." I say, sitting up.

"You okay?" She asks me.

"Instead of worrying about me, you should be worried about the snow on your nose." I say, pointing out she had some snow on her nose.

"You've got snow not only in your hair, but on your eyebrows." She retorts.

"Haha…" I laugh. "You look like a polar bear."

"Hey, I'm no bear! I should be a Snow Queen at the least!" She shouts.

~End of Ivan's POV~

Ivan and I are grinning at one another before I know it. I've never seen this shy smile on Ivan before, and my heart is pounding.

I thought he was just a man with a heart of ice and a scary demeanor… But I guess he's not that much of a cockroach as I initially thought.

He can laugh, he has a sense of humor, and has emotions like everyone else… I guess he isn't as bad as I thought.

We head back to the castle, and Mikhail meets up with us there.

"I heard that the two of you had gone out to practice archery," He said. "But how on earth did you get so completely soaked with snow?"

"Sorry…" I say, rubbing my head in embarrassment.

"First, you need to get changed! Go on!" Mikhail says to us.

"Didn't mean to tick you off…" I say.

"Nah, it's just for show…" Prince Ivan says.

"But it was fun… *a-choo!*" I end up sneezing.

"You should do as Mikhail said, before you catch a cold." Prince Ivan says.

"You should, too," I say. "Your hair's plastered to your head; looks horrid."

"Same goes for you. Pfft…!" Prince Ivan says, and I can't help but smile.

I haven't had so much fun in such a long time…

* * *

><p><strong>Things are going back to normal at Sanct Sybil Fortress now that Ivan is back, but when I learn something about this society that burns my core, I start thinking twice about it. When I ask Ivan to go back to Nobel Michel for a small while to keep my skills up as a pastry chef, he crosses the line with his remarks! <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**After Ivan and I start getting along, he brings me to get a new dress. But when I point out the shop owner has his wife and daughter working in the shop, Ivan gets angry. What is his problem? And when the party comes around, Ivan says something that makes me completely lose my patience with him and I walk out!**

**Contains song fiction of "Not One of Us" from Disney's "The Lion King II: Simba's Pride"**

* * *

><p><em><span>Walking Out<span>_

It's been a few days, and things have gone back to normal, and the atmosphere is a lot more relaxed. I feel really comfortable for some reason. Prince Ivan then invites me into his study.

"Now that the domestic situation has calmed, I'm inviting the other princes here." Prince Ivan explains to me.

"It will be nice to see everyone here." I say.

"I know it will, but you'll need a new dress for this." Prince Ivan says.

"I have a lot in the closet in my room; why get a new one?" I ask.

"Those are all store-bought. We didn't have time to get your measurements. If it's made to order, it will fit well and suit your tastes." He explains to me.

Gotcha… Custom-made dresses are protocol.

"We'll go out to the store now." Prince Ivan says to me.

I nod.

We soon make it to a store that the royal family uses.

"This is the store the royals use. You can choose any design you like." Prince Ivan tells me.

The beauty of these dresses mesmerize me, and I say, "Wow… Talk about dresses are fit for a princess…"

The shopkeeper approaches us, and he says, "Welcome, Prince Ivan. Thank you for your patronage."

"Today I'm looking for a dress to suit her." Prince Ivan says, gesturing to me.

"Oh…! So this is your fiancé. Welcome, Lady Carly." The shopkeeper says to me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I say, albeit the idea that I'm engaged to Ivan is still a little unnerving. "This is the first time I've had a dress custom-made for me, so… I don't know what to choose."

"Then please leave it to me," The Shopkeeper said. "Let's see…"

He presents to me a pink dress with a large bow that comes out in the back. It's beautiful…

"Wow! It's stunning… but the bow in the back is a tad big…" I say.

"I'll bring some thinner ribbons from the back. Just a moment." The shopkeeper said, before going into the back of the shop.

I get a glance into the back, and I see a middle-aged woman and a young girl are embroidering flowers onto a dress.

"That's to be expected of a dress store. It's nice to see women working hard." I say.

"What?!" Ivan shouts, and he gets his scary face on. I don't know what his deal is… "Are you serious?!"

"I don't know what you're so angry about. They're just embroidering flowers onto a dress in the back." I say.

"He must have no common sense, making women work…" Ivan says.

What's not having common sense is _not_ letting women work…

"Hey, you!" Ivan shouts at the shopkeeper.

"W-What can I do for you, Prince Ivan?" The shopkeeper asks.

"Are you making women work in your store?" Prince Ivan asks.

"My wife and daughter love sewing, so they help out when I don't have enough embroiderers… They're not being forced to work. They both really enjoy helping." The shopkeeper says.

"That's not the problem!" Prince Ivan shouts.

"What's the issue with family helping out the store? I don't see an issue here." I say in the shopkeeper's defense, going to the shopkeeper's side.

"Right… You're a foreigner so you don't know… In Sanct Sybil Kingdom, a woman's most important duty is to look after the home and continue the family line. So no one with any sense would leave the house to work. And any man who would permit it are regarded as shameful."

"What's shameful is the fact that this mentality is so OLD SCHOOL!" I shout. "What's the issue here? It's normal for women to have jobs in other countries…"

"That might be the case in other countries, but here it's different," Prince Ivan says to me. "Remember that."

Hearing this, my initial opinion of him is reset and revived… What a cockroach.

"We'll be leaving now. If you are still allowing your family to work here the next time we come… I'll inform the other royals." Ivan says.

"Y-Yes, Your Highness…" The Shopkeeper says, hanging his head.

I feel horrible for him. Women should be allowed to work… if I'm going to be forced to be Queen, there's going to be some changes in this country. No more male-chauvinist customs…

I shouldn't have spoken up…

The following week, we have an extravagant party at Sanct Sybil Fortress. There are a lot of guests here, including the princes, and the atmosphere is lovely. But I feel pretty gloomy, because these elegant events are still all surreal to me.

I begin to fiddle with this ring Ivan gave me… I wonder to myself if there will ever be a day where this ring will become normal to me?

"Huh? Are you that pastry cutie from before?" Prince Oliver asks, as he notices me.

"Oliver… I didn't think you'd remember me." I say; it's nice to see a familiar, friendly face.

"But of course! How could I forget such a cute girl?" Prince Oliver asks, winking.

I smile and blush a bit.

"Hey, Oliver. Stop hitting on women… Oh, it's you." Prince Sieg says.

"Hi, Sieg," I say with a smile. "It's been a while. Thanks for the other day."

"What's this, something happened with you two?" Oliver asks.

"When I visited Ivan on the battlefield, she came with me." Sieg explains.

"You went together?" Oliver asks.

"We made sweets and took them to Ivan." Sieg explains.

"Is that all?" Prince Oliver explains. "Geez, Sieg, you're too serious."

"It's not like I'm going to do things just to amuse you." Prince Sieg says.

"Heheh… you two are making her uncomfortable." Hayden says.

"Prince Hayden…" I say.

"Hmm… You're carrying yourself well." Prince Hayden says to me.

"When I saw you at the party at Nobel Michel you were tense and nervous." Prince Kuon says.

"Right. And you've gotten cuter." Prince Aslan agrees.

"Kuon, Aslan…" I say. "Listen, I'm not used to this sort of thing."

"Isn't it natural to tell a cute girl how cute she is?" Oliver asks.

"I guess Ivan's not the type to give compliments." Sieg says.

"They say a girl grows more beautiful if you water her with compliments." Prince Hayden says.

I'm not a flower… But the smiling princes are surrounding me, and I don't know what to do.

"Hey, you guys. That's my fiancé." Prince Ivan says.

"You're still not married yet, right?" Kuon asks.

"So we still have a chance." Prince Aslan says.

"You…!" Ivan says, getting angry. The other princes are composed.

"Oh… the waltz is starting," Sieg says, before putting his hand out to me. "Could I have this dance?"

"Hang on! Isn't it my role to hit on the ladies?" Oliver says.

"How about it?" Hayden asks. "Or would you rather dance with me?"

I would rather dance with any of the other princes rather than Ivan right now; I'm still angry about the dress shop thing last week.

I'm about to answer 'yes' to Oliver, when…

"She's mine. Come on." Prince Ivan says, grabbing my arm.

"Okay…" I say with a sigh; I decide not to argue.

"Then let's go." He says.

He hesitates for a second, as if he has an idea, and he stops, before letting go of my hand. He puts one hand over his heart and gives a little bow.

"Would you do me the honor of being my partner for this dance?" He asks me.

What's his game?

I go with it and I say, "Yes, it would be my pleasure."

I put my hand in his, albeit his dazzling presence is making me a little uneasy in the suspicious type of way.

"You acceptance was very ladylike." Prince Ivan says to me.

"I had practice…" I say.

Prince Ivan pulls me by the hand into the dance and I remember everything he told me the first time we had a dance.

I hold my heart up and look him in the eye, and I square my shoulders.

"It seems like you've remembered what I told you." He says to me.

"You DID tell me to stand up straight." I say.

I manage to remember the steps and I follow Ivan's lead. I actually enjoy the dance.

"Oh my… what a rarity. Look at those two!" I hear Olga say.

"Well well! Ooh, his partner's that girl." Tatiana says.

"When he dances like this, our little brother really does seem like a prince." Anastasia comments.

"If only he always looked like he was having fun like this! For once he's not frowning." Olga says.

"Oh darling, do stop pulling that face. You look so much like Ivan you'll make me laugh." Anastasia retorts cheerfully.

Seeing Ivan's sisters looking at us while talking animatedly makes me feel a little better.

After the song is over and we stop dancing.

"That was fun." Prince Ivan says.

"Yeah…" I say, but I'm still a little anxious.

"Just once doesn't seem like enough." Ivan says.

"You haven't danced enough?" I ask, ready to challenge myself.

"No, that's not what I meant…" Prince Ivan says, before escorting me off the dance floor and back to where the other princes are.

"You danced pretty well." Sieg comments.

"You were so cute. Why don't you dance the next one with me…?" Oliver asks.

"Wait, I forgot the last part," Prince Ivan says, and he gently lifts my right hand. "It was a pleasure."

He places a light kiss to the back of my hand, and I go red in the face.

"How pretentious…" Kuon comments.

"I was just performing the final courtesy." Ivan says.

"Okay, okay! I get it!" Oliver says, annoyed. "I'll give up on dancing with Carly."

"We get your point. You've worked so hard to dissuade us." Hayden says.

"By the way, aren't there any of your cakes being served today?" Sieg asks me.

"I couldn't; I had a lot of work to do…" I say, sadly.

"They were so delicious, I was looking forward to eating them again." Aslan says.

"Thanks… I'll do it next time." I say, with a smile.

But what Aslan and Sieg tell me makes me begin to think: I haven't made sweets in a while. Can't lose my skills as a pastry chef… I hope everything at Patisserie Brown is going better.

"Ivan… I have a favor." I ask.

"What is it?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"Since the situation has calmed down, I want to go back to Noble Michel for a bit. I can't lose my skills as a pastry chef. I want to go back and work for a bit." I say.

"Why do you want to work so much…?" Prince Ivan asks me. "I don't have any desire to forbid you from making sweets. But why do you want to labor so hard over it? When you become Queen, people will wait upon you, and you'll never want for anything. You must be seeking out this hard work because you're unsatisfied with something."

"Don't be an idiot! That's not why I work!" I shout.

"You…" Ivan says, and was about to continue, but then his sisters approach.

"Hey Ivan, your way of thinking's soo old-fashioned!" Olga says.

"Right! Girls do have dreams other than to get married, you know?" Anastasia says.

I'm surprised that Ivan's sisters are actually on my side of the argument. I appreciate it and let Ivan's sisters take over from there.

"You're saying that royal women shouldn't uphold our customs?!" Prince Ivan asks.

"Carly will dump you if you stay in the Stone Age!" Tatiana says.

"Where we live, everyone works hard to support their families." Anastasia says.

"Keep in mind, she's lived and worked by herself until now, hasn't she?" Olga inquires. "If your purpose in life is suddenly taken away, wouldn't you be a bit lost at sea as well?"

"Nice to see I'm not the only one against your opinions, Ivan. I have pride in my job as a pastry chef. I feel like junk by suddenly ditching it against my will. I intend on going back to it and trying harder than I have in the past!" I say.

"Is your work that important to you?" Prince Ivan asks me.

"More important than anything." I say.

"Fine… Even if you leave, there's plenty of people to replace you." Prince Ivan says.

My heart stops for a second when I hear him say this, and now my temper is not just boiling, it's on fire!

**_WHAT?! I DON'T BELIEVE THIS! THAT'S IT! I WON'T STAND FOR THIS!_**

"Ivan, how could you?!" Olga shouted.

He chose me for my sturdiness anyway. I had no extra obligations… He never chose me out of love…

"You know what?! I can't take it anymore!" I say, tears falling down my face. I take off the ring, and then I _lose it_. "I was right about you… **_YOU'RE A COCKROACH THROUGH AND THROUGH!_**"

The other princes flinch a bit, but Sieg isn't really reacting that much. My face is red, my nose is running, and I'm on fire.

"Here's your ring back," I say. **_"BECAUSE I'M LEAVING! FOR GOOD!"_**

I throw the ring back at Ivan with all of my strength, and he catches it. Everyone in the room gasps and another song rant of mine starts.

I turn my back, and as the music starts, I try to make my feelings clear.

"You!" Ivan shouts, before trying to come after me; Oliver and Hayden block his path. "Get back here!"

I ignore him and start to sing.

_"Deception… Disgrace…" _I sing before turning back to Ivan and looking him in the eye. _"Evil as plain as the scowl on your face."_

_"Deception! An outrage!" _Olga and Anastasia sing in round with me.

_"Disgrace! For shame!" _Oliver and Hayden sang as well.

_"You asked for trouble the moment I came. (Deception! An outrage!) I can't change my stripes! I know you verminous types! (Disgrace! For shame! Evil as plain as the scowl on your face!)" _I sing, with the others in the background.

_"See you later, agitator! Just leave me alone!" _I sing at Ivan, as he tries to come after me, but this time, Kuon and Aslan block his path. _"(Deception! An outrage! Disgrace! For shame!) You cockroach, I'm going home!" _

_"You asked for trouble the moment I came. See you later, agitator!" _ I sing, before turning back to Ivan and ranting. _"Born in grief. Raised alone. No choice but to take the throne. Let me go, let me live. But I won't forget what I WILL NOT forgive!"_

I get closer to the door, but I stop there; I turn back to Ivan, before singing,_ "And I am NOT one of you! I have never been one of you! I am not part of you! Not your kind…"_

Ivan tries to come after me, but Tatiana blocks Ivan's way.

I point at Mikhail angrily and sing, _"Mikhail lied to me, too! Don't think that I'm blind!" _

I start moving closer to the door, singing, _"Should've known you would do what you've done. Mark my words, I will NEVER be one of you! I am not one of you!"_

I turn back to the scene, and see everyone looking at me with mixed emotions; I blink, letting my tears fall down.

_"Deception… Disgrace…" _Kuon sings, followed by Aslan.

_"Deception… Disgrace…" _Hayden and Oliver sing together.

_"Deception…" _Sieg sings, finally.

I then walk out of the ballroom, slamming the doors shut. In tears and rage, I take off the shoes and leave them in an area where no one will trip over them, and then I run off to my bedroom.

~Ivan's POV~

I don't believe this… She walked out?!

"It's unheard of for the future Queen of Sanct Sybil to walk out on her betrothed…" "Such a vixen…" "Unreal…"

I'm about to go after her when Sieg blocks my way.

"What?" I ask.

"You have no right to go after her." Sieg says to me.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

My sisters come over to me and then Olga slaps me on the face – _hard_.

"Carly is right about you! You _are_ a cockroach…" Olga says.

"I don't understand… All I said was that there was plenty of people to replace her." I say.

"Moron! How can you go after a fiancé you think dispensable?!" Kuon shouts at me.

So that's what happened…? I misspoke?

"I only meant that there were plenty of people to take her place at the bakery." I said.

Sieg hits me on the head, and he shouts at me, "You idiot! If that's what you meant, then you should of made that clear!"

"And you're certainly an idiot for not taking her seriously as a pastry chef," Anastasia says to me. "She's got pride in her work and you went and insulted her."

"Doesn't matter now…" I say. "Mikhail… Could you set up some dates with noblewomen?"

"Right away…" Mikhail says, before leaving the ballroom.

"I'll go check on her…" Oliver says, about to follow Mikhail.

"You?" Hayden asks.

"She'll listen to me, I'm sure," Oliver says, but then glares at me. "After that song number, I highly doubt she wants to see you again."

Oliver leaves the room and I sigh; it doesn't matter now… She's gone.

~End of Ivan's POV~

I take off my dress and change into the clothes I was wearing when I came here. I'm so angry and I'm so upset at the situation that I can't think clearly. I wasn't expecting to be here too long, so I only brought the essentials with me.

I have a notebook of my own recipes, and in the back is the recipe for the potato donuts I made for Ivan. I rip the recipe out of the book and tear it up into shreds before throwing it in the garbage can. I don't think I'll ever make them for that cockroach ever again so I don't see the point of keeping the recipe.

I keep packing my trunk when I hear someone knocking on my door.

"If that's you, you verminous Prince, leave me alone!" I shout. "I can't stand to look at you, or even talk to you right now!"

"Calm down, Carly," I hear someone say outside the door. "It's Oliver."

"Oh, come in then." I say, calming down; I'm SO GLAD it isn't Ivan…

"Excuse me, Miss Carly." Zain III says, coming in with Oliver.

"Zain? What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Since all the princes are here today, Zain came along to help out," Prince Oliver says, but then changes the subject. "Somehow things went wrong earlier… Are you really okay with this?"

"I haven't any regrets," I say, breathing. "My work as a pastry chef is the most important thing in my life to me. When someone insults what I do, they mess with the bull. That cockroach Ivan messed with the bull one too many times, so I finally gave him the horns."

"Hmm, I don't think it was an insult…" Oliver says to me, and I look at him in curiosity. "Ivan is just… how do I put it… he can be bad with words."

"I know that much," I say with a sigh. "But if those were his true feelings, then I don't want to stay in the same building as that platinum-blonde, male-chauvinist varmint."

"Hmm… I guess I can't say." Prince Oliver says.

Denying women the right to work… What a male-chauvinist society! As if I would want to become Queen of a place like this… And for him to say that I was replaceable confirms that I don't need to be here… nor do I _want_ to be…

"So you're really going back to Nobel Michel?" Prince Oliver asks me.

"Yes, I am." I say, with a firm nod.

"Then you can come back with me and Zain." Oliver tells me.

"Thank you." I say, with a big smile.

We soon arrive back in Nobel Michel, and Zain drops me off at my house.

"Is here are right?" Zain asks me.

"It's perfect," I say, before getting out of the car. "Thanks, both of you."

"Take care," Oliver says, but the topic quickly goes to Ivan. "You know… I don't think Ivan really meant to make light of your job."

I knew he'd say something like that.

"Thanks… But… regardless of Ivan's true feelings, it's irrelevant to me now. Because I'll be back to being a normal pastry chef tomorrow." I say.

Prince Oliver and Zain then drive away. I'm thinking that things are going to be okay. It's fine this way, to be honest. As if I could be a prince's bride. Ivan will find someone better for him. And though I say this to myself, I feel my heart being squeezed… Forget about Ivan; vermin are not worth remembering.**  
><strong>

After I settle in back home, the next day, I go to Patisserie Brown and check up on Yosef.

"Yosef, sorry for taking too long with the business." I say as I come into the bakery.

"Carly?! What are you doing here all of a sudden?! When did you get back?" Yosef asks me.

"I just arrived back last night," I explain. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble by taking a sudden long leave… Especially one I didn't ask for. I've been eaten by guilt the whole time because I couldn't offer a proper apology."

"Not at all, it's fine! It must have all been very confusing for you." Yosef says.

That's Yosef; understanding and such a father to me.

"I also ended the engagement with Prince Ivan." I say.

"What?!" Yosef asks me.

"So… Could I come back to work here again?" I ask Yosef.

"I'm really happy to have you back, Carly, but… Have you seriously broken off the engagement?" Yosef asks me.

"I sure have." I say, confident.

I tell Yosef everything, from my rant about not becoming Queen, to the male-chauvinist traditions that Sanct Sybil has, which included that women aren't allowed to have jobs, the fact that I'd only be a trophy and baby-maker for Ivan, and everything. I also inform Yosef about my final rant, calling Yosef a 'cockroach'.

"I see…" Yosef says.

"You were so happy for me when I left, even though I never wanted to…" I say, trying to be sincere.

"So his opinions about your work as a pastry chef couldn't be swayed," Yosef says. "But are you really okay with this? Don't you love him?"

WHAT?! Love that cockroach?! No way! I could _never_ fall in love with a guy like Ivan!

"I'll forget him." I say simply.

"And by that, you mean that you can't forget him, right?" Yosef asks me.

I flinch a bit, my heart pierced by Yosef's words, but I shake it off.

"It's your life. If you try to deny your feelings, you'll regret it," Yosef says to me. "I just want you to be happy…"

"What makes me happy is my work here as a pastry chef. This is what makes things worthwhile for me. I couldn't care less about how someone amazing is, if they can't understand that, prince or not, I can't be happy with him." I say with confidence.

"If that's how you feel, then I understand. You come back and work with us. To tell you the truth, it'll be a huge help having you back." Yosef says.

I smile and say, "Thanks, Yosef!"

~Ivan's POV~

I was back at Sanct Sybil Fortress, eating lunch with a woman from one of the lesser noble families. The issue with this girl was that all she did was talk about random things, so I merely tuned out. That, and there were a lot of extraneous obligations that she would have.

We were eating a nice meal that consisted of venison tenderloin in apple gravy…

Apples… Thinking back, I remember that woman's potato-apple donuts were a real treat while on the battlefield; even the soldiers adored them. Letting my mind wander to her, I mentally pinch myself and concentrate.

After said date was done, I go back to my suite. I see Urey and Snieg looking a little sad. Since _she_ left, they've been quite down… I sigh sadly before sitting on the sofa and start petting the two wolves.

Mikhail comes in and says, "How did it go, Ivan?"

"_She_ was a lot less talkative… Unless she was angry…" I say.

"Comparing Miss Mira to Miss Carly? That's the third time you've compared the date to Miss Carly." Mikhail points out.

"I know… But…" I say, before sighing. "I can't forget about her…"

"Shall I arrange another date with another noblewoman?" Mikhail says.

"Please," I say to Mikhail. "It's going to be what's best…"

Mikhail turns to leave and then he says, "I personally don't think that's the case."

I look up at Mikhail and I listen to him.

"If you keep comparing all of the noblewomen to Carly… that can only mean one thing." Mikhail says.

"What's that?" I ask.

"You're in love with her." Mikhail says to me, before leaving the room.

I… love her?

~End of Ivan's POV~

I'm working harder than always back at the bakery, and I feel so happy… but at the same time, kind of empty.

"How's the chocolate cake coming along?" Yosef says to me.

"All I need to do is add the cream topping." I say.

"We're almost out of blackcurrant cheesecake. Could you make some more?" Yosef asks.

"Leave it to me!" I say. "Once this cake and the madeleines are finished."

"By the way, did you take a lunch break?" Yosef asks me.

"I had a sandwich." I say.

"Is that all? You can take a longer break, you know." Yosef says to me.

I understand what he's telling me, but if I get myself off-track and just relax and eat for more than just a short period of time, my mind will wander to Prince Ivan, and I intend on forgetting all about him. I can't do that in my lull time no matter what.

"I'm just having too much fun baking!" I say with a big, wide smile.

"Okay… but don't push yourself too hard." Yosef warns me.

"No problem." I say.

In spite of what I'm saying, I'm also trying to fill a hole inside me. I decide to bury myself in my work to keep my mind off of Ivan.

* * *

><p><strong>For me, things are going back to normal, but my mind - and conversations - keep going to Ivan. I don't know why, but I soon end up getting sick, and as if I'm daydreaming, Ivan comes to my house?!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**After leaving and heading home to Nobel Michel, I try to act like nothing's wrong, but try as I might, I can't keep my mind off Ivan. But what happens to me when he winds up showing up at my door, especially when I'm sick?! What's going on? Why is he here?!  
><strong>

**Contains adapted "I Won't Say I'm In Love" from Disney's "Hercules"**

* * *

><p><span><em>Ivan's Regret And <em>_Retrieval_

I'm trying my best not to think about Prince Ivan and all of the things I've been through with him. It's nearly impossible at this point, and no matter what I seem to try, I can't keep my mind off of him whether I'm at work or at home. I also try to avoid the news networks and newspapers regarding the princes at all costs, too.

Sometimes I wonder why it couldn't have been Prince Oliver or Prince Aslan's bouquet that hit me on the head instead. If it were either of them, then I probably would be a little happier. Both of those princes are a little friendlier, so I might have had it a tad easier if it were either of those two.

I start thinking that's a bit shallow of me to be thinking, so I decide to drop the thought and I get back to work. I notice something out of the corner of my eye, and I _think_ it's Prince Ivan, but I shake off the feeling, thinking that I might be hallucinating or going nuts.

That same day, I have May over at my house for the first time in a long time. I haven't seen her in so long that I started to call her on a daily basis.

"So you're single, now?" I ask; she had just relayed to me that she and her boyfriend had broken up.

"Yeah. I'm like a career woman right now or something, I guess?" May says.

"It seems like you, and I are in the same boat, girl." I say with a laugh.

"But my ex was awful," May says to me. "All he did was complain about my food, saying the taste was too strong and he hated it…"

"I was happy to get feedback; helped me improve on my baking and make things he'd like…" I say.

That's probably my pastry chef side talking. It sort of reminds me of when Ivan told me to tone down the sweetness of the… No, no, NO! Don't think about that cockroach!

"I couldn't do that…" May says. "I think if I made something for him he should eat it without complaining!"

"Maybe…" I say, but then I change the subject. "It's strange… All I have are mainly good memories of my time in Sanct Sybil, albeit I'd be lying if I said there weren't any bad ones. It makes it really hard to forget."

"Does that mean you're still in love with Prince Ivan?" May asks.

I do a spit take away from her face and then I cough a few times before saying, "I'm not that sure…"

"But I don't have a single good memory of people I broke up with on bad terms… Like when he gave me that ring that I really wanted? It makes me angry now to think I was so happy about it." May says.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yeah, that's why I think you're definitely still in love with him." May tells me.

I sigh and say, "Me; in love with Prince Ivan? I don't think so…"

"Hold on! … You got engaged even though you weren't in love with him?" May asks me.

"Long story short, he chose me and got us engaged without asking me… Why would I fall in love with a guy like that?" I ask.

"But now you've broken it off… You feel relieved, right?" May asks me.

"Hmm… I'm relieved to have run away from the trouble, yes, but I feel down about it." I say.

"Aw geez! I can't take this!" May shouts.

"It's only me who feels like this," I say, with a sigh. "I'll bet Ivan's searching for a new fiancé and forgetting about me as we speak."

"Are you serious?" May asks me. "From what you've said, Ivan's definitely in love with you!"

I scoff and say, "Don't be silly, May. He clearly told me that it was out of convenience that he chose me as a fiancé."

I go on to do another one of my singing rants, but this time, it's a song that May and I know pretty well.

_"If there's a prize for rotten judgment… I guess I've already won that…" _I sing, as I start to just… vent. _"No man is worth the aggravation… That's ancient history! Been there, done that!"_

_"Who'd you think you're kidding? He's the Earth and Heaven to you! Try to keep it hidden. Carly, I can see right through you!" _May sings along.

_"Oh, no…" _I croon.

_"Girl, you can't conceal it! I know how you feel and who you're thinking of…" _May sings, putting a hand on my shoulder.

_"Oh… No chance, no way, impossible, no, no!" _I sing.

_"You swoon, you sigh, why deny it, oh-oh?" _May asks, in song.

_"It's too cliché, I won't say I'm in love!" _I sing, while my memories go to Ivan when I walked out on him. _"So now my heart has learned its lesson. It first feels good, then peters out… My head is screaming, 'Forget about him'! Don't even bother to cry your heart out! Oh, no…!"_

_"You keep on denying, who you are and how you're feeling. Carly, I'm not buying. Girl, I saw you hit the ceiling. (Oh, no…!) Face it like a grown-up! When you gonna own up that you got, got, got it bad?" _May sings.

_"Oh… No chance, no way, impossible, no, no!" _I sing, trying to deny everything.

_"Give up, give in. Admit it, you're in love!" _May sings.

_"This scene won't play! I won't say I'm in love… (You're doing flips; read my lips: you're in love!) Oh, no!" _I sing.

I turn to May before singing, _"You're way off-base, I won't say it!"_

_"You won't say it, huh?" _May sings.

_"Get off my case! I won't say it!" _I sing, before sitting back on the bed.

_"Girl, don't be proud, it's okay, you're in love…" _May sings.

_"Oh… At least, out loud… I won't say I'm in love…" _I sing, before breathing.

"Listen, Carly… The fact that you were convenient to him… That might have been the case in the beginning, but did he still feel like that when you broke up?" May asks me.

"How would I know?" I ask with a shrug.

"Geez… aren't you old enough to know better? In this day and age that kind of pure love only exists in the movies!" She says to me.

"Could you not be a nag, please?" I ask, before sighing. "I chose work over love; plain and simple."

* * *

><p>Later, I just immerse myself in my work; I look up recipes and try out formulas day in and day out, work my butt off at the bakery with a smile. I work late, go home and think up new recipes, and I do this day after day. I intend on drowning myself in my job.<p>

A few days later, I think I might have gone too far… I can't bring myself to eat anything, and I feel hot and feverish. I decide to head to bed and I just collapse. I don't get out of my clothes and then I end up falling asleep where I am.

I wake up the next morning, and the sun is already shinning on me. I wake up, and I feel my body is really heavy, and I have a pounding headache.

I also feel my throat is dry, so I go and get some water. I crawl over to the fridge and I end up glugging down what seemed to be a pint of water. I take my temperature, and I see it's quite high.

I give Yosef a call and I tell them that I can't come in today. Having a fever would put anyone out of work for the day, but in the food industry, it's especially important for sanitation protocol. Can't have people getting salmonella or e-coli from having a sick baker. We could be in hot water from that.

Work over love… What was I thinking, saying it with such energy? I'm failing as a professional if I can't take care of myself…

I lie back on the bed and faze at the ceiling, and my mind drifts to Ivan. He chose me as his potential bride because of my health and energy… If he were to see me now, he'd be nauseous.

"Eh… That's irrelevant to me," I say. "Now just to get better before I cause more problems…"

I climb into bed and then I fall asleep.

* * *

><p><span>~Ivan's POV~<span>

I'm in Nobel Michel once again; I realize where I went wrong with her, so I've come to make amends… and bring her back. I've been secretly watching Carly while she's working in the shop, and I've seen her work so hard and she seems so happy… But I know I'm in the wrong here, so I'm here to make up for it. I have Mikhail drive me to the shop to see what the situation is.

"We're here, Ivan." Mikhail says, and I look up and see Patisserie Brown. I decide to come during closing hours to avoid a ruckus.

I exit the car and then I see Yosef outside the door.

"Yosef." I say, and he turns to me.

"P-Prince Ivan!" He stammers, before bowing to me. "What can I do for you, Your Highness?"

"Can we talk… Inside?" I ask.

He looks at me in confusion and then we go into the back of the bakery. I explain to him what happened and he informed me of what she said to him about everything. I also learn a few other points that I take into consideration. He stated that he was concerned that Carly had been pushing herself too hard just to forget about me and the like. Kept calling me a 'cockroach' even when I'm not around, he says.

"So when I brought her to Sanct Sybil, this place… went dead?" I ask.

"Not necessarily dead, just… dull. When she left, not only were we short on staff, the products weren't as good as when she made them. She always had a smile on her face whether she worked the desk or the in the kitchen. A lot of our male customers in her peer group actually came here not just for the goods, but to see her as well…" Yosef said.

That last comment about other men making eyes at her sort of annoyed me.

"So she was a really important part of the staff…" I say.

"Carly was essentially the glue that kept us together… as well as something of a daughter to me. A lot of her friends are her coworkers here and they all respect and love her. So when she up and left the atmosphere died a bit. Some of our male staff, including my grandson, were all grousing about how some quote-on-quote 'Two-bit royal took away our main reason for working here'. Basically, they had crushes on Carly. Without her, things just weren't the same." Yosef says to me.

"I guess replacing her is impossible…" I say.

"She wasn't exactly happy about the things you said, Your Highness," Yosef says, getting serious. "Carly told me that she called you a 'cockroach'… Is that right?"

Mikhail sighs and says, "Yes, she did, Yosef."

"Listen… By bakery standards, cockroaches are _never_ welcome. They're pests and they can cause a lot of issues, contaminating food, spreading disease… So when she called you a cockroach, she was essentially saying that you're um… pardon my language…" Yosef begins.

"Scum? A pest? Vermin?" I state.

"Yes." Yosef said.

"I was so wrong…" I say, my face falling. "I have to bring her back with me."

"I don't think…" Yosef begins, but before he has a chance to say anything, I'm out of the building.

I soon find her home address, and I see its an apartment complex; if she lives in a place like this, I need to make sure I find the right one.

Mikhail and I find her house in the apartment building; I swallow a lump in my throat, and then I ring the doorbell.

I hear the door unlock, and I see her open the door.

"Who's there?" She asks.

"It's me." I say.

She rubs her eyes, and says, "No way…"

"What?" I ask her; she's staring at me, as if surprised. "What are you staring at? Hurry up and come home."

"Huh? Where do you…?" She asks, a little dazed.

Is she okay? She's either not happy to see me, or it's something else. I don't know...

"It's obvious, isn't it? To Sanct Sybil." I say, and then take her hand; she's shaking a bit. Could she be scared? No, I don't think that's it...

"Ivan… is that you?" She asks me.

"Yes, it's still me…" I say, and then wave a hand in front of her face; I see her face is red, and it looks like she's distracted.

"I can't believe that I get to see you again… Ivan…" She says, but then she collapses to the floor.

"Hey!" I shout, as she falls to the ground and falls unconscious.

I feel her forehead and it's hot; heat's one thing I'm not really used to. Prince Aslan, on the other hand, is probably not used to the cold, either. Anyway, I take my hand away and shake it.

"Crap… She's burning up! Mikhail! Head to the nearest market and get food and medication for her! Stat!" I say.

"Right away!" Mikhail says, before dashing away.

I pick her up bridal-style, and then I bring her to the bed, tuck her in, and I pull up a chair. I intend on staying by her side through all of this.

~End of Ivan's POV~

After coming to, I see that the rays of the dusk are coming into my room. I must have slept all day, but I still feel like crud.

I soon hear the doorbell and I go to answer it. I somehow manage to go to the door, but I feel pretty bad.

"Who's there?" I ask, opening the door.

"It's me." I hear a familiar voice say, and right in front of me is Prince Ivan!

I rub my eyes in surprise; I then mutter, "No way…"

"What?" Ivan asks me.

How can I not be shocked right now? I must miss Ivan so much that I'm dreaming about him…

"What are you staring at? Hurry up and come home." Prince Ivan asks me.

"Huh? Where do you…?" I ask him, a little dizzy.

"It's obvious, isn't it? To Sanct Sybil." Prince Ivan says to me and then he takes my hand.

"Ivan… is that you?" I ask him, still wondering whether or not this is a daydream.

"Yes, it's still me…" He says, and then he waves his hand in front of my face.

"I can't believe that I get to see you again… Ivan…" I say.

After that, the strength in my body leaves me, and I can't seem to stand on my own two feet. I collapse onto the floor, losing consciousness.

"Hey!" I hear Ivan shout.

After that, I'm out cold.

* * *

><p>When I wake up, I'm in my bed again. How did I end up in here…? I remember fainting in the entryway, and then I remember <em>why<em> I fainted.

"Now I remember… Ivan!" I shout.

"What?" He says from beside me, and I jump in surprise, with a bit of a squeak. "Why are you surprised? You just called me."

"Excuse me…" I say, crossing my arms, and rolling my eyes.

"Your fever's still high. I've sent Mikhail to get good and medicine, so you just rest." Prince Ivan says to me.

"Mikhail, too? Why are the both of you here? Work for the Nobel Expo or something?" I ask.

It's not as if he came all the way back here just to get me. After what I did at the party, there's no way he'd think nicely of me anymore, would he? I just don't see it happening…

I see Ivan's expression twist a little bit, and I raise an eyebrow.

"Well… since I wronged you… I wanted to apologize…" Prince Ivan says.

Say what now?! _He_ came to apologize to _me_?! Tell me this is a dream…

"I beg your pardon?" I ask.

"Afterwards, the other princes and my sisters talked to me… and I realized that my choice of words was wrong," He explains. "When I said that there were plenty of replacements for you, I didn't mean for my fiancé, but for people to work at the pastry shop."

_THAT'S_ what he meant?!

"Idiot, you should have made that clear in the first place." I say, with an upset tone of voice.

"Sieg said the same thing," Ivan says with a chuckle, but then his expression becomes sad again. "And I also realized that I didn't take you seriously as a pastry chef. I talked to Yosef, and it seems that it was really a hard blow for them to lose you. Now I understand that there are no replacements for you."

"Ivan…" I say, a little wary of what else he would say.

"I want to apologize for hurting you. What I did was inexcusable." He says to me.

"Nice to see you know where you went wrong," I say. "But… did you _really_ come all this way just to say that? Seems to me like you're going to a bit too much trouble."

"No," He says, and I'm surprised at this. However, I see him grow an earnest expression on his face. "Carly… will you come back to Sanct Sybil with me?"

He holds out his hand to me; it's like he's inviting me to dance. However, what sticks out to me is the fact that for _once_, he used my actual name.

"You just used my name…" I say.

"What about it?" Ivan asks me.

"You've never called me by name until now." I say, matter-of-factly.

"Really…?" Ivan asks me.

"Up until now, it's only been 'you' or 'her'…" I say, and then I start to feel tears falling.

"Why are you crying?" Ivan asks me.

"Because for once… you called me by name. You're finally seeing me… or at least, that's how I feel." I say.

I feel so happy; it's about time Ivan started seeing me as a human…

He hesitates to speak, and I say, "Forgive me… I'm happy…"

"So… what's your answer?" Prince Ivan asks me.

I'm just so happy that he went out of his way to just come get me; it shows me that he cares about me to go this far. I take the hand he has out for me.

"Yes. I will," I say. "I'm sorry for making a scene and running off. I couldn't forget about you, even though I came back here. However, are you sure about this?"

"What do you mean?" Ivan asks me.

"I'm a woman who succumbs to colds." I say with a shrug.

He pulls a sour face, causing me to get a little curious.

"I don't care about that anymore," He says to me. "At first, I tried to look for a replacement for you, but I was unsuccessful."

"So there's no one healthier than I am, huh?" I say, a little conceitedly. I'm just trying to be fun.

"It's not just about your health," Ivan says to me, catching me by surprise. "No matter who I met, I compared them to you. I couldn't forget you."

So he couldn't forget about me, either… I guess that makes sense, considering he came all this way just to come get me. This is something out of a dream, and I can't bring myself to stop smiling for some reason.

"If you've decided on coming back, then there's just one thing left to do." He says to me.

I tense up at this; now I'm scared…

"Oh, um… You mean have a meal?" I ask, trying to divert his attention elsewhere.

"No, not that. You can't eat with that fever," Ivan says to me. "No, we need to lower your fever."

"What was I thinking?" I say, in jest.

"It's fine. For today you should just sleep and rest your body," Ivan says to me. "Yosef's been worried too that you've been pushing yourself too hard lately. Well, anyway, for now just rest."

I nod and then I fall asleep; Ivan strokes my hair. My body is boiling and melting with fever, but his touch is comforting to me. I'm just so happy to be back with Ivan again… I feel like crying.

* * *

><p>Once my fever finally breaks, Ivan and I take a visit to Yosef. We explain everything that's happened to Yosef.<p>

"So, she'll be coming back to Sanct Sybil with me." Ivan says, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Please forgive me, Yosef…" I say.

"Not at all; I'm just relieved that you've decided to follow your heart," Yosef tells me; I can always count on him. "It might not be the case anymore, but this was like your second home, wasn't it? If you're ever in trouble, you can come to me any time."

"Thanks so much…" I say, tears in my eyes from joy. I feel so happy that Yosef is there for me.

"I just want you to be happy." Yosef says to me.

"That's a promise…" I say, and I intend on inviting Yosef to our wedding. I bow to him; we bid him goodbye, and I'm so happy.

We board the plane to Sanct Sybil, and I'm sitting next to Ivan. I still feel like I'm in a dream, but Ivan's arm on my shoulder makes me realize that this is for real.

"We'll be in Sanct Sybil after the plane lands." I say, with a smile.

"Yeah." Ivan says to me, and I notice he has an intense gaze that's aimed into my face. I get confused.

"What's going on, Ivan? Is there something on my face or…?" I ask, touching my face in embarrassment.

"No… I was just thinking that I can finally take a proper look at you," He says to me, before explaining what he meant. "After you left, I had such strong memories of your voice and your hands, and the taste of your sweets, but I realized that I never really looked you full in the face. Now I want to remember everything about you."

"Thanks for the flattery, but I'm not some supermodel-faced beauty…" I say, brushing it off.

"Don't be so modest," Ivan says to me, with a smile. "You're very attractive."

I go red in the face and I realize how honest he's being. I try to calm down and I try to relax, so I say, "Don't stare so hard… I'll be at your side at all times from now own… take your time."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Ivan says to me, before wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me in close.

We soon land in Sanct Sybil; there's a car waiting for us, and both Ivan and I get in the back seats. Mikhail is our driver, as always, and I feel a little more comfortable.

"I'll be driving you to Sybil Fortress." Mikhail says to us.

I take a look in the rearview mirror, and I see that a fleet of black cars is following us. They're probably our guard… And there are quite a few of them, too. The royal family must be something for this many guards to come along and try to keep us safe.

I soon see something out of the corner of my eye, and say, "Ah!"

"What's the matter?" Ivan asks me.

"Check it out! The aurora… It's stunning!" I say, as I see a curtain of lights sways in the night sky. It's something I've never seen in my life.

"Mikhail, stop the car." Ivan says.

"As you wish." Mikhail says, stopping the car near the side of the road, and the two of us get out of the car.

We start walking through the woods, and I'm holding hands with Ivan.

"Come on, let's go see the aurora… It's a rare sight to see one so huge…" Ivan says to me.

"Is that true?" I ask Ivan.

"It doesn't appear unless the sky is cold and clear," He says to me. "I read that they're most likely to occur when it's below minus 10 degrees."

"You're right; it's colder than the walk-in freezer at Patisserie Brown… *a-choo!*" I say, before sneezing.

"We were in a hurry, so you didn't bring your winter things. Your hands are bright red." Ivan says, getting a look at my hands.

"Geez… They hurt really badly… Talk about frozen…" I say, rubbing my hands.

"It can't be helped…" Ivan says to me, before taking off his hat; he wraps it around my hands in place of gloves. I love the softness of the fur, and it's so warm.

"Th-Thanks…" I say; I'm a bit embarrassed.

"Close your eyes." Ivan asks me; he puts an arm around my shoulders.

I close my eyes, as he asks me to. My heart starts to pound, and I'm thinking that he might kiss me. What if he does, though?! What if he _does_ want to kiss me?!

I then feel something brush softly over my eyelids, and I'm wondering what's going on.

"Done," Ivan says. "You had snow on your eyelashes. It's a pain if they freeze together."

He flicked the snow from his fingers, and for some reason, I felt a bit of disappointment.

"Thanks…" I say, trying not to _sound_ disappointed.

"You're welcome." He says, with a gentle smile on his face; that's a first. It's very captivating…

"Did you come out to look at the aurora, or my face?" Ivan asks me, with a bit of a joke.

"The aurora, of course!" I say, before turning back to the sky.

Ivan then sighs before hesitantly asking me, "Carly, shall I tell you about my family?"

I turn to him in surprise; I never heard this kind of voice from him.

"About my father… the current King Nikolai Chernenkov." He asks me.

"I've yet to meet him." I say.

"Even I can only see him once a month…" He says to me.

"Is that true? Even though you're father and son, prince and king?" I ask him in surprise.

"Yeah. He's always going on diplomatic visits or sometimes suppressing insurrections," He says to me. "He's working hard to try and properly unite Sanct Sybil."

"Now that I think about it, Sanct Sybil is just one country made of several separate states…" I say.

"The house of Chernenkov is the most ancient and honorable in Sanct Sybil," Ivan explains to me. "Which is why my father raised me so strictly, and in conformance with tradition. My mother died right after giving birth to me."

"That's horrible… It's a bit late to say this, but I offer my condolences." I say to Ivan.

"Don't worry about it," He says to me, before sighing. "And my sisters are much older than me. By the time I was a boy, they had all got married and left home."

"So basically, you grew up in the castle all alone?" I ask him.

"Yeah, I did." He says, replying to the affirmative.

"Didn't you get lonely in there?" I ask.

"At first I probably was… But I was alone for so long that I stopped noticing," He says. "I had the sense that, as a prince, I had to be strong. I lived like that for a long time… but after you arrived, something changed."

This sentence got my attention, and I kept listening to him.

"It warmed my heart to think of you seeing me off, and waiting for me to return. I found myself thinking that maybe this was the warmth of family." He tells me.

"Ivan…" I say, lighting up a bit.

"Before I knew it, I'd started to secretly wish that it could continue forever." He says to me.

"Ivan… To be honest, you're actually quite sweet." I say to him.

"What do you mean by that?" He asks me, red in the face.

"I feel like I want to stay by your side when you tell me that," I say, before latching both my arms onto his, gently. "I was so wrong about you, Ivan. You have your sweet side."

"If that's the case, then I guess it's not bad. Anyway, come closer. You're cold, right?" He asks me.

I nod, and then I snuggle up to him; we both look up at the aurora together. The sky is so beautiful, that I'll never forget it as long as I draw breath. But… Let's just say that the moment fails to last...

* * *

><p><strong>After our reunion, I feel on top of the world, but something goes horrible wrong, and I end up as a hostage to the same group of rebels that Ivan fought that one time before! I hate being a D.I.D., but what choice do I have but to sit and wait for Ivan?<br>**


	7. Chapter 7

**After Ivan and I go back to Sanct Sybil Kingdom, I feel like I'm on cloud nine; Ivan and I have come to an understanding, and things couldn't be better… That is… Until something goes ****_completely_**** wrong. I get captured by some rebels while Ivan tries to save me, and I end up a hostage!**

**Contains Chad Kroeger's "Into The Night"**

* * *

><p><em><span>Damsel-Not-In-So-Much-Distress<span>_

The sky is so beautiful, that I'll never forget it as long as I draw breath.

However, the moment becomes ruined when I begin hearing sound of the snow being stepped on. I tense up as I start to get on the defensive. I see a man quietly, and quickly moving towards us from the shadows in the trees. I see something long and thin in his hand, and I realize what it is…

_"INCOMING!"_ I shout, as I instinctively throw myself between Ivan and the approaching man.

I hear a noise and then I shout, "ARGH!"

I feel heat on my arm, and I look at it as it turns from heat to stinging, and I see a long, red line along my arm. I silently thank God that I'm wearing a thick coat, and I start to turn on my aggression.

"Carly!" Ivan shouts.

"Ivan, leave me! Get out of here!" I shout, trying to get Ivan to run and be safe.

"I'm not leaving you… ugh!" Ivan begins, but someone else springs at him.

However, the snow hinders his movements, and I start calling for help.

"Help… Someone, help us!" I shout, but then I feel some sort of impact on my stomach. "Gah!"

I end up curling over and then I'm hoisted up over the man's shoulder.

"Let me go! Or I'm going to _make_ you let me go!" I shout, trying to resist, but my arms and legs aren't moving a bit.

The pain is causing me to lose consciousness, and I hear Ivan shout, "Carly!"

I feel like an idiot for doing this, but as long as Ivan's safe, that's what's important. I end up hearing Ivan's shouts echoing in my ears, as I'm being carried away…

I soon regain consciousness, and I feel this rattling, shaking sensation that seems really unsteady. I also hear a motor running; I try to pull the blanket I'm wrapped in tighter, so I can keep warm, but then I realize that my hands can't move properly. Crud, my hands must be bound…

I can't see anything, but my eyes are open; I assume I'm blindfolded, so I decide to use the other senses to investigate what's going on. I soon conclude that I'm in a car or truck.

I then remember what happened: Ivan and I were attacked, and when I tried to help him, I got kidnapped instead. I try moving my feet, but they're bound, too! I decide not to struggle and stay quiet, and wait for a chance to get out of here.

I lay down on the blanket, being silent, and I try my best not to say anything, albeit I'm tempted to give them a piece of my mind and mouth.

I hear voices, and I start to listen to their conversation.

"So what do we do with the girl?" The first man asks aloud, and I listen.

"She's Prince Ivan's fiancé, she'll be a good bargaining chip." The second man replies.

"We gave him a tough time during that last battle…" The first man says.

"Yeah. We haven't had it easy since the country was unified." The second man says in reply.

"Somehow, we have to get things back to the original system." The first man says, in sympathy.

So, these guys are men from the recent uprising that Ivan took down. I'm an idiot; I can't believe I let myself get caught by these… vermin.

"But thanks to that girl he escaped death and Konev was captured… If she hadn't interfered…!" The second man gripes, blaming me for what happened.

I'm on the verge of growling and giving these guys a piece of my mind, but I calm down because I'm still bound up and stuck.

"Wait, don't kill her. I told you, she's our bargaining chip." The first man says.

Okay, so that makes it clear to me that Ivan's okay… At least for now… For now, I need to focus on escaping.

"Hey, shouldn't she be waking up soon?" The first man asks.

"Yeah. Shall I give her something? It'd be bad if she knew where she was." The second man suggests.

I hear some rustling noises and then I feel a cloth against my mouth. I think it's ether, but before that thought goes through my head completely, I lose consciousness again…

I wake up again, and then I see that I'm not in the car anymore, and I see that my arms and legs aren't bound, either. I try to get up, and I see that I'm on a bed. I don't recognize the room, and I hope to get out of here and find Ivan as soon as possible. I wonder how long it's been since I got kidnapped, but no matter how long it's been, I can't stick around. I breathe a few times to calm myself and steady myself; I'm still dizzy.

I remember that these guys who have me hostage are rebels from the other side of the insurrection that Ivan stopped that one time. I also remember that because Sanct Sybil is actually one collection of countries, the Chernenkov family surely has some people who hate them.

"Ugh… What now?" I ask aloud. I'm scared, but at the same time, I feel confident that Ivan will come to get me.

I hear the door open, and then I turn to the door; I aggressively say, "Who's there?!"

I see an unfamiliar man standing in the doorway, and I get on the defensive again. I put on my angriest face to show them that I'm not scared when I'm actually scared half to death. I guess the men knew I woke up; his face had no hint of surprise as he barges in.

"Hey, you! You're Prince Ivan's fiancé, right?" The second man demands of me.

"If it weren't for you, our assassination would have been a success…!" The first man says to me.

"And our buddy wouldn't have been captured!" The second man says, blaming me.

I'm actually pretty clam in this sort of situation, and I decide to buy time to find a way to get out of here. I decided to get them to talk and I get ready to face the worst.

I know that Ivan's coming for me, and I can be patient, knowing that. But still, I don't like being the typical Damsel-in-Distress. Modern women are more independent and can get out of these situations on their own these days…

I give them a glare and I say, "Oh, so you intend on assassinating Ivan? What good is that going to do?"

"What's this?! Did we give you permission to speak?" The first man asks me.

"Doesn't matter whether or not you give me permission; you said something to me, I replied." I say.

"That's not the point! You don't speak unless we allow it!" He shouts at me.

He violently grabs my hair, but I brace myself, glare back at him, and I say, "You let go of my hair or I'm going to _make_ you let go of my hair! Is that clear?!"

"This… witch!" He shouts at me; I ignore it.

"Hey, Neil! Don't let her provoke you!" The second man says.

"Shut your mouth, I'm the boss here. Don't tell me what to do." The first man, Neil says.

The third man says, "But if she's injured, we'll be at a disadvantage in the negotiations."

"Tch…" The redheaded man, Neil says, knowing he's right, and then he lets go.

I smirk a bit, but I keep my face down to prevent them from knowing I'm on to them. Neil's the boss, and I seem to be the bargaining chip for negotiations. I decide to pry as much info out of these roaches as I can.

"What are you planning on doing with me?" I ask. "I swear, if you try anything, when Ivan gets to you, you'll be in bigger trouble than if you didn't try anything!"

Neil ignores my threat and then he says, "Obviously we're going to use you as a tool in our negotiations. You're the prince's fiancé. Right now he'll be in a frenzy trying to find you."

Ivan doesn't anger easily unless it comes to me, so that comment probably has merit…

"Hold on. You said you were trying to kill Ivan," I say. "What's with the script flip?"

"That was one of our last resorts," Neil says. "Our goal is the independence of our country, which was unified into Sanct Sybil Kingdom. You will perform the negotiations to make it so. If you're successful, we'll let you go."

"Oh, please," I say with a scoff. "No way. I refuse to do such things!"

"I thought you might say that," Neil says; he's prepared. "You're an important hostage. We won't hurt you, but I can't guarantee your safety if you try to escape."

I manage to keep calm in the situation I'm in, but I decide not to resist, or I could run the risk of making this worse. I decide to obey him and wait for when their guard is down.

"For now be a good girl and wait in your room, Lady Fiancé!" Neil says.

As much as I want to command respect right now, I'm not really in the right position for this right now, so I'm stuck…

I can't sleep that night, and soon, dawn breaks. Time is the only thing that's changed, and I see that the sun's been up for a while. I also see that my captors aren't back, and I'm wondering what's going on.

The door slams open and then the men come into the room. I hold my breath and try to hold my ground, even though I'm stuck in this position.

"Hey, you! Have you go Ivan's number?" Neil asks me.

"His number?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't play dumb. We took your phone while you were asleep, but somehow…" Neil said.

"_IDIOTS!_ That's an invasion of privacy!" I protest.

"Shoot… there's no message history. How did she do it in such a short time…" Neil gripes.

"Hate to break it to you, but I don't have his number." I say with a smile.

"Liar. You're dating! How do you contact him when you're apart?" Neil asks me.

"Barking up the wrong tree~!" I say in singsong, as a way to tease them. "It's called 'exchanging letters'. That, and since I was living in the same building as him, there was really no need for the phone, so we would meet up through that, too."

I don't know why these guys are so impatient.

"Then what about the number for someone close to him?" Neil says.

"I'm in the dark about that." I say.

I assume they're trying to send a threat to Prince Ivan, but without a number. How they were going to pull that off without having Ivan's number – literally – is beyond me…

"Try his butler Mikhail; he might have a cell phone…" I say.

"Call unsuccessful," Neil says, after he and his men try the numbers. "The direct number we have for the prince isn't working!"

I'm not sure, but it's possible that Ivan can't use his cell phone right now for some reason. He _did _capture one of these goons, so what if Ivan…?! As I think this, anxiety wells up in me; my heart clenches painfully, I silently pray for Ivan to be okay.

It's been a few days, and so far, no change in my circumstances, but I'm patient and obedient with these guys, but not without a tease on my part every now and again.

The men are angry that they can't get through to Prince Ivan, and I secretly am amused by their discomfort, albeit they're still tight-lipped with me.

Neil then comes up to me with a TV and he says, "Hey, I'll show you something good."

He turns it on and a newscaster speaks over the tune to the news show.

"Good evening. Here are today's top stories," The anchorman said. "Yesterday, Prince Ivan visited the snow festival and listened to the local children…"

The screen shows the kids singing in front of the snow sculptures, and Ivan is with them. I've heard the snow festival is Sybil's most famous festival, and a different theme is decided each year. It's tradition for people to make snow sculpture in tune with the theme.

I breathe a sigh of relief, because I know Ivan is okay… But as I take a closer look, I see there's something a tad strange about Ivan. I can't put my finger on it, but… It looks like Ivan's eyes… they're not the same, so I immediately smell a rat.

The men react differently, though.

"The prince is out in public as normal as though your kidnapping never happened," Neil says. "Are you really the prince's fiancé?"

"Yes." I say with objectivity.

"Then how can he be so calm?" Neil asks. "There hasn't even been any news that you've been kidnapped."

"That must have been deliberate. Knowing Ivan, he knows better than to cause a panic. He's still looking for me; I know it. This might sound like I'm being too much of an optimist, but I _know_ that Ivan's frantic, looking for me!" I say.

"You're optimistic. Don't you think he could have abandoned you?" Neil asks me.

I'll be fair; that thought _has_ crossed my mind, but I trust Ivan.

"What a coldhearted man, to so easily abandon his own fiancé…" Neil says.

"Don't give me that!" I shout. "Ivan isn't like that! I _know_ that isn't Ivan on the TV!"

Neil just says, "You sure have a lot of confidence in him. But this is the reality."

I see Ivan on TV with the children, and as always, he's not exhausted at all.

"We've decided to think of a different plan," Neil says. "So… it seems you've outlived your usefulness. It'll soon be dangerous to remain here any longer. We don't have the capacity to bring useless hostages along with us…"

I know what he's getting at, and now I'm scared…

He pulls a small gun from his belt, and I stiffen up.

"Don't move. It'll just take one shot." Neil says to me, as he muzzle of the gun is dead at my head.

"Idiot," I say, catching off-guard. "I told you, that isn't Ivan on the TV. Prince Ivan's eyes are blue- _green_, but that man has blue_-grey _eyes. It can't be Ivan if the phenotype of his eyes aren't the same as always."

Neil flinches back a bit and asks me, "What makes you say _that?!_"

"I'm a pastry chef," I say. "We need to have an eye for details."

"Shut up!" Neil says, pushing the muzzle closer to my head.

"You shoot me to death and Prince Ivan will give you what for when he gets through with you vermin!" I say.

Neil just grows an evil, angry face on, and I shrink back; _now_ I'm afraid… I realize that I'm incapable of running, and now I'm scared… Am I really going to meet my end this way?!

~Ivan's POV~

A few days after Carly was kidnapped, I am frantic and I am really upset that this came to pass… I managed to tie up that jerk Konev and I have him detained.

I use a GPS tracker and I type in the code for Carly's phone. I see that the signal is quite weak, so I know this is going to take a while. I look over to Urey and Snieg, and they're pacing around in worry. They're probably worried sick about Carly, too.

"Urey, Snieg! Come!" I say, as I track the GPS signal to the spot that Carly was taken away from me.

Bad enough I said something to light her temper on fire and cause her to leave me behind, but for her to be _taken_ from me is even worse…

"Ivan, I understand how angry you are, but…" Mikhail asks me; I see what he's getting at.

I decide to just vent to Mikhail what I was feeling… In song. That's probably something I picked up from Carly.

Guitar music started to play, and I just started to sing. I imagined myself in a dark void where I was alone, and I was about to fall into the Underworld. However, a bright light came above me, and I looked up to see Carly, as an angel in white, with feathery wings, and a halo. She comes down to me, and she holds out her hand.

_"Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell. It was love from above that could save me from hell."_

Carly's chest started to glow brightly, and then I started to see flames circling around the two of us, and they're all going in different directions around us, all coming from Carly's heart.

I don't know how she does it, but as I put my hand in hers, her eyes glow completely white and then a shadow that resembled a demon came out from my back.

_"She had fire in her soul, it was easy to see, how the devil himself could be pulled out of me."_

Carly started to dance to a lively rhythm and moved her body in a lot of different ways, being graceful; I could hear drums playing, and then I see smaller angels fluttering around, all clapping their hands.

_"There were drums in the air as she started to dance. Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands." _

Carly started to sing, albeit I could not make out the words, and her voice started to ring while the mini angels started to sing as well. I took Carly into a dance and we started to get to it as we danced until the sun came up and I was out of the void.

_"And we sang ay oh ay oh ay oh ay! And the voices rang like the angels sing! We're singing ay oh ay oh ay oh ay! And we danced on into the night!" _

I next saw myself put Carly's face into a jigsaw puzzle of her that I had. I looked at her with a smile, and then she came alive; she approached me with a big smile. I took her into a formal dance and I started to twirl her around the ballroom, and we had a full-moon look in our eyes. I pulled her in closer to me and I tried to give her a kiss.

_"Like a piece to the puzzle that falls into place. You can tell how we felt from the look on our faces. We were spinning in circles with the moon in our eyes. No room left to move in between she and I."_

The clock started to fast-forward to eight hours and I forget where we were at, so we were sort of stuck. We went out to the balcony and we started to sing a duet to the wind before dancing again.

_"We forget where we were and we lost track of time. And we sang to the wind as we danced through the night."_

Carly, as an angel once again, accompanied by many others, started to sing. I took her hands into mine as we continued to dance as she started to fly with the two of us were still holding hands.

_"And we sang ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, and the voices rang like the angels sing! And we sang ay oh ay oh ay oh ay! And we danced on into the night…" _

I was literally dancing on air at that point and she and I were still dancing together.

_"Ay oh ay! Ay oh ay! And we danced on into the night! Ay oh ay! Ay oh ay! And we danced on into the night…"_

I soon find myself at rock bottom, emotionally, and I soon see Carly, all in white, looking at me, and I felt all demons leave me as I saw all of the fire that she had within her as flames left her body and started to surround me; one large demon left me and then it was vaporized.

_"Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell, it was love from above that could save me from hell. She had fire in her soul, it was easy to see, how the devil himself could be pulled out of me."_

Drums started to play, and Carly began dancing at a fast pace while looking at me with sultry eyes. Others were clapping and I soon found myself doing the same thing.

_"There were drums in the air as she started to dance. Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands, and we sang…"_

Carly continued singing as others were singing along with her, and I was hoping to join in, but in the back of my mind, I knew that I probably would sound like a crow in comparison to Carly. I soon got Carly into my arms to dance with her once more.

_"Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, and the voices rang like the angels sing! We're singing ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, and we danced on into the night! Ay oh ay! Ay oh ay! And we danced on into the night (and the voices rang like the angels sing)!"_

Carly kept singing, as the two of us kept dancing together.

_"Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay. And we danced on into the night! Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay. (Ay oh ay oh). Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay (ay oh ay oh)! Singing ay oh ay oh ay oh ay (ay oh ay oh). And we danced on into the night!"_

After that song finishes up, I sigh to tell Mikhail _exactly_ what I was thinking and feeling.

However, I soon heard Urey and Snieg howling and I end up following them as I dash forward. They've got Carly's scent!

I soon run after them via the snowmobile, being careful not to outrun Urey and Snieg; they soon come to a cottage in the mountains, and I see that's where Carly is. I breathe in relief, but I still hope she's okay.

"Ivan…!" I hear her shout, and then I run in to barge in there and get her out!

~End of Ivan's POV~

"Ivan…!" I shout, crying for help.

"Your beloved prince… but it seems like he's not coming to save you." Neil says.

"Didn't I just tell you? If you kill me, everyone will figure out what's been going on, and Ivan will have you incarcerated! He'll make the punishment fair, but he might be harsher on you considering who you would have killed!" I say.

"Oh, come on. If we dump your body in the forest, the wolves will dispose of you," Neil says. "There's plenty of forest around here… It won't take long for them to devour enough s they can't even tell it's you."

I hear the far-off howl of a wolf, as if on cue.

"Well, would you listen to that? Seems like they're waiting for you." Neil says to me, maliciously.

"Please," I say, rolling my eyes, but I'm still scared. "That could be either one of _Ivan's_ pet wolves."

"P-Pets…?" Neil says, a bit nervous at that.

"Prince Ivan has pet wolves that grew up with him as a child. Knowing Ivan, he's probably having Urey and Snieg track me by scent… So I think you're underestimating him." I say with a smirk.

But deep down, I'm scared half to death… Will my life really end this way?

I squeeze my eyes shut and I'm screaming in my mind.

"See ya. We'll send your prince to join you soon." Neil says, smirking evilly.

He puts his finger on the trigger, and I hear the noise of it. I wanted to see Ivan one last time… But how did things turn out this way…?!

I feel a tear roll down my face, but as it's about to drop to the floor…

*Clash!* *Bang!*

"What's going on?!" Neil asks, and I breathe in relief, knowing that he's at least delayed my end…

The third of the men says, "I'll go look."

"Okay." Neil says.

I'm wondering what's going on as I hear a lot of racket in the other room.

"Guaah!" *Thump!*

"What is it?!" Neil shouts, before turning to me. "Tch, I'll deal with you later. Come on!"

The men bind my hands and lock the door, and I'm left alone in the room. I have no idea what's happening, and I'm afraid things are going to get worse before they get better…

I hear fighting outside my room and…

*Rattle rattle rattle!*

"Haaaaaaaahhh!" I scream, afraid, as the door vibrates.

*Bam! Bam! Bam!*

I don't know what's going on, but it seems like there's someone trying to force open the door.

*Bam! Bam… Bam!*

The door smashes open, and splinters of wood are sprayed into the room.

"AAAH!" I scream, but…

* * *

><p><strong>After the cockroaches' hideout is raided by who-knows-what, I'm scared half-to-death for my life. Whether or not things are going to end well for me, I don't know… <strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**While I'm ****stuck here in the care of the cockroaches who attempted to assassinate Ivan, the place is also being attacked! What's going on?! And what happens that breaks more than just my own heart, but many others', too?**

**This chapter contains "Love Will Find A Way" from "Lion King II: Simba's Pride"**

* * *

><p><em><span>The Prince's Pain<span>_

I hear fighting outside my room and…

*Rattle rattle rattle!*

"Haaaaaaaahhh!" I scream, afraid, as the door vibrates.

*Bam! Bam! Bam!*

I don't know what's going on, but it seems like there's someone trying to force open the door.

*Bam! Bam… Bam!*

The door smashes open, and splinters of wood are sprayed into the room.

"AAAH!" I scream, but…

"What are you screaming about?" I hear someone say, and then I look up to see… Prince Ivan!

"Looks like you're okay." Ivan says to me.

"I-Ivan…!" I say, as I smile, tears of joy flowing out of my eyes.

I know it for a fact; right in front of me right now, is Prince Ivan.

~Ivan's POV~

I see Carly, hands tied, and sitting on the floor.

"Ivan… why…?" She asks me.

She tries to stagger towards me, but ends up losing her balance.

"Ouch…" She says, about to fall, but I catch her.

In spite of the circumstances, my heart is throbbing as I feel her safe in my arms.

"They tied you up…" I say, noticing the rest of the rope imprints on his skin.

I scoop her up into my arms, but she doesn't really weigh that much; at least, not to me.

"Hey, Ivan, my feet aren't bound, so you don't have to carry me…" Carly begins to protest.

I begin to carry her over to the bed, and I snort, before saying, "If you struggle, I'll drop you. Just shut up and let me carry you."

"Okay…" I say to him in reply.

I put her on the bed, gently, and then ask her, "Are you okay? How's your arm?"

"They bandaged it, and they didn't do anything else to me." She says.

I breathe in relief and then I say, "Good. You don't look like you were treated badly. Don't move while I cut this rope."

I take out a small knife from my pocket and then I cut the rope form her wrists. She throws off the ropes.

"There… Anyway, I'm glad you're safe." I say.

"I'm so sor-" She begins, but then out of relief, I hug her tightly.

"I'm really glad you're okay…" I tell her.

Carly doesn't reply, but I'm sure she knows that she's safe.

"I'm just glad you're okay, too," She tells me. "I was so scared… I passed out when they kidnapped me. I had no idea what happened to you due to that…"

"Do you really think those guys could stop me?" I say to her.

"No way," She tells me, albeit her eyes are welling up with tears. "You're strong…"

"You gave me a real scare." I admit to her.

"You don't have to be anymore." She says to me.

~End of Ivan's POV~

As I close my eyes in embarrassment, due to the tears, I feel something licking them away.

I open my eyes to see a wet nose and long tongue.

"Hey, Urey, Snieg!" I say, happily.

Urey barks and I smile.

"I thought I heard these two howling earlier." I say, rubbing the wolves' heads.

"You're right. I followed their noses to find where you were." Ivan says to me.

"Like German Shepherds." I say.

"They were worried, too, when you were gone," Ivan says to me, smiling. "When they caught your scent, they started running at full speed."

"Did they track me from the spot I was taken?" I ask him.

"No, it was after we entered the forest. I knew where you were up to that point, because I made the man who slashed at you confess," Ivan explains to me. "It was difficult since he didn't want to talk."

"How _did_ you make him talk?" I ask.

"I have ways of making people talk. If you think about it, you can probably figure it out." Ivan says in reply, grinning.

It's a wicked smile, and my imagination starts running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

"Don't tell me…" I say. "Tickle torture?"

"Pfft… I didn't think of that," Ivan says, laughing. "I might give it a go next time. The truth is, I followed the GPS on your cell phone."

"Really?" I ask.

I realize that Ivan was trying to make a joke to calm me down, so I relax and I smile.

"But it took so long since the signal was weak in the mountains," Ivan says. "You must have had a hard time…"

"No… you managed to get a body double to perform your duties in your place while you looked for me." I say in reply.

"How did you know that?" Ivan asks me.

"The live broadcast earlier. I could tell that man on the TV wasn't you due to the eye color." I say.

"You really could tell, couldn't you?" Ivan asks me, impressed.

"I've got a keen eye for details; it's part of my job as a pastry chef." I say.

"Um, sorry you two, but do you think we could leave?" I hear someone say. "I know you want a moment together, but we don't have much time."

I turn to see Mikhail in the doorway, and he's standing a little awkwardly.

"Mikhail! Good to see you!" I say, with a smile.

"I couldn't let Ivan come rushing in here by himself." Mikhail says to me.

"I guess the cops and military got involved…?" I ask.

"Before they were even ready, as soon as Ivan found about this place, he…" Mikhail begins, but…

Ivan cuts in by standing up and says, "Anyway, we need to get away from here as quickly as possible."

Ivan must have marched in here all by himself to rescue me… I feel horrible that I put Ivan in danger, but I'm also happy at the same time.

His expression hardens, and then we hear someone else in the cottage.

"We can talk later. Right now, let's get out of here." Mikhail says.

"No need to say that twice!" I say.

"The exit's this way." Mikhail says.

Mikhail leads the way as we ditch the cottage.

On a cliff a little while away from the cottage are two snowmobiles, and they're parked where they can't be seen from the cottage.

"I didn't know you could drive a snowmobile." I say to Ivan.

"Yeah," Ivan says to me. "You can ride behind him."

Prince Ivan gives me a push on the shoulder to Mikhail.

"Now hold on…" I begin to protest, but…

"Mikhail, you go first and get her out of here." Ivan says to Mikhail.

"But what about you…?" Mikhail asks.

"That's what _I_ was going to say…" I say. "But he's right; you need to get out of here as well."

"I'm their target; I'll draw them off while you two escape," Ivan says. "Take the route that goes due east. I'll take the way that circles around the cliff."

"What if something happens?!" I ask.

_Just_ when we were brought back together, now we're separated again… What if something happened?!

I look down in anxiety, feeling really nervous. Ivan puts an arm around my shoulder, and pulls me closer to him.

"Trust me, Carly." He says to me.

I feel something warm touch my cheek, and I look back at Ivan as he pulls away. His expression is tense as always… But did he kiss me on the cheek?

Ivan's touch made me so happy just now…

"Mikhail. Once you get out of the forest, the guards I called should be there." Ivan says to Mikhail.

"Okay." Mikhail says.

"When you join up with them, send her straight to Sybil Fortress. She'll be safe there." Ivan states.

"Understood." Mikhail says.

"I'll see you at the castle, Carly." Ivan says to me.

"I'll wait for you. So… please…" I say to him.

"Yeah. I keep my promises." Ivan says to me.

I nod in reply.

"Let's go, Carly!" Mikhail says; he starts the engine as I get behind him.

"Hold on tight to him." Ivan says.

"Way ahead of you!" I say, as my arms are already tightly bound around Mikhail.

The engine turns on with a loud noise, and then the snowmobile goes like lightning.

I see Ivan smiles at me, probably for reassurance, and he says, "I'll be right behind you."

"Yes!" I say, as I watch Ivan straddle his snowmobile, as well, and then tries to start the engine.

*Vroom…*

Out of nowhere, a Range Rover comes speed out at us.

"You think you escape, Ivan?!" I hear Neil shout.

"_IVAN! INCOMING!"_ I shout.

However, in a flash, the Range Rover rams the snowmobile that Ivan is on and the vehicle is pushed over the cliff… And Ivan is _still_ on top…

"I-Ivan…?!" I say, in shock.

"We can't stop, Carly!" Mikhail protests.

"Mikhail, we need to save Ivan!" I protest in reply.

Mikhail revs the engine and the snow mobile accelerates.

"Mikhail! We have to go back! We need to save him!" I shout.

"I can't!" Mikhail says.

"How come?! Are you a coward or something?!" I shout.

"It's not cowardice," He tells me. "My orders from Ivan are to get you back to Sybil Fortress. If we went back now and something happened to you, I…"

"So abandoning Ivan would be part of that?" I ask, tears falling from my eyes.

"Yes…" Mikhail tells me.

"Ivan…" I say, knowing that Ivan risked his life for me, when he shouldn't have.

"I'm going to accelerate; hold on tight!" Mikhail says.

I wrap my arms tighter, as my mind goes blank.

**_"IVAN…!"_** I shout, my voice reverberating through the forest and cliffs…

* * *

><p><span>~Ivan's POV~<span>

After the snowmobile falls off the cliff, with me still on it, I land in the snow; since its fresh snow, it's soft, so it breaks my fall.

I'm freezing, and the impact of the fall is causing me to lose movement in my body. I'm shivering and I can't move…

"C-Carly… No…" I say, trying to see her face in my mind. I see her float above my face and I shake it off. I _have_ to see her once more… I need to keep my promise to her…

I hear footsteps as I feel my breathing grow shallow…

"Hey, there…" I hear someone say, poking me, and I stir a bit.

I then feel someone pick me up and help me walk; I hear him ask, "Can you walk?"

I nod a little bit as he helps me back to his cottage. As soon as we get inside, he puts me on the bed, and though I know he knows it's me, he doesn't question me, or ask what's happening.

I look and see that there isn't a TV or radio in here, so he's not up to date to the news.

I decide that before I contact Mikhail via cell phone – it's still intact, because I checked – that I need to recover some of my strength, so… I start thinking up a plan.

~End of Ivan's POV~

After we get out of the forest, I travel in different cars; before I know it, I finally see Sybil Fortress in the distance. I'm about to cry when I see it.

"We're finally back." Mikhail says.

"But…" I say, but I don't know what else to say.

"For now let's just be happy that we got back safely." Mikhail says to me, trying to reassure me.

I merely look at the towering castle, my heart heavy with pain.

Once we get inside, we're ushered into the audience chamber; I overhear some people mentioning King Nikolai.

"Mikhail, I heard them say something about us going to see the King. Does that…?" I begin.

"Yes, King Nikolai must have returned." Mikhail says.

Hearing this, I feel reality hit me: I'm going to meet Ivan's father. Normally, I'd be happy, but right now I feel like a raincloud is over my head and it won't go away. I'm dead scared, too… Ivan died all to save me, and I'm not even the princess!

I see a majestic-looking man with a regal aura, and he's sitting on the throne. His frame is tall, and his severe features are so much like Ivan's, it's scary…

"I haven't yet been able to meet you, but you must be Ivan's fiancé." King Nikolai says to me.

"Yes, Your Majesty. It's an honor to meet you," I say, trying to turn on my manners. "My name is Carly."

I can't read any trace or fear on King Nikolai's face…

"I'm sorry that you had such a terrible experience because of these rebels." He addresses me.

"No… I got back here in one piece… But… it was all thanks to Ivan…" I say, but then my voice breaks and I get choked up.

"According to my reports, the rebels pushed Ivan from a cliff." His Majesty says.

"T-That's right…" I say, but then my voice starts breaking again. I see Ivan and the Range Rover pushing him off the cliff. I want to scream, and I'm about to lose my nerve.

"Your Majesty, Carly was imprisoned, so she's still feeling shaken," Mikhail says. "Would you allow me to explain in her place?"

"Very well, Mikhail. You may speak." King Nikolai says.

Mikhail explains everything that happened, starting from when we were attacked while watching the aurora.

"And so, on Ivan's orders, I prioritized saving Carly above all else." Mikhail says, concluding.

"Is what Mikhail said the truth?" His Majesty questions me.

"He said it right…" I said.

"I see." King Nikolai said.

"Mikhail and I… the both of us tried to convince Ivan to run with us, but he took a different route to shake off the opposition and try to escape, but just a second after we had started to leave…" I say, but then I trail off.

"Hmm… Minister, what is the terrain in that area?" The King asked one of the ministers.

"The area where Carly was imprisoned is a wooded area near the third stage of the Starffin Mountains," The Minister replied. "The cliff there is probably the Abt River ravine…"

"Hmm… the Abt River… that's not good." King Nikolai said.

"Translation, Mikhail?" I ask, in a whisper.

"The Abt River runs fast and deep, and is famous for overflowing," Mikhail said. "And right now it's winter…"

"So… even if Ivan survived the fall, he'd likely die from hypothermia?" I ask.

"And it's also behind enemy lines," Mikhail says. "The guards protected us once we were out of the forest, right?"

I nod in reply.

"That's right on the line of rebel territory," Mikhail said. "If we send more forces into the area, we'd have to prepare ourselves for war. That's why Ivan came to your rescue by himself."

"So… Searching for Ivan… would be…?!" I begin, not looking forward to the answer.

"Realistically, it's impossible…" Mikhail says to me.

I'm crushed, as I hear this. Not only am I grieving over Ivan right now, I'm also heartbroken… He and I haven't even been married yet, and I still feel like his loss has been more than crushing for me.

"Provost Marshall! What about the criminals' movements?" The King asks.

"We haven't found a trace of them yet. We haven't heard anything from our spies…" The Marshall replies.

"In other words… Ivan's survival is hopeless." The King says.

The atmosphere becomes oppressive; I feel like falling to my knees and crying in pain – pain of a broken heart, that is.

"Anyway, we know what happened," The King says, before turning to me. "Carly, you should rest. I'll leave you in Mikhail's hands."

"Yes, your Majesty…" Mikhail says, and then he leads me out of the audience chamber.

The King and the Minister continue talking gravely behind us, and I'm about to cry.

* * *

><p>The next day, the incident is reported to the citizens; Ivan could never have survived that kind of scenario, which was what the general consensus turned out to be. As for the culprits' whereabouts, that is unknown, and rumors are beginning to spread that another insurrection is about to start.<p>

I just sit on my bed and gaze up at my ceiling in pain, not knowing what to do. I initially thought him a male-chauvinist cockroach that had a heart of both ice and stone, and was flat-out nasty, but… I've never loved someone like this so much, so I'm at a loss of what to do.

I turn onto my bed and start crying now that he's gone, and I can't seem to stop.

"Do these things truly happen…?" I ask, but then the clock in the room strikes 5 A.M. before I know it.

In spite of it being morning, it's pitch black outside… Time runs away from you when in a situation like this.

I just sit up, and decide to sing to vent.

_"In a perfect world… One we've never known… We would never need to face the world alone…" _I sing, as I go to the window and open it to let the air go through my face.

_"They can have the world… We'll create our own. They say I'm brave, not strong, yet smart, but still, deep down inside my heart… I know… Love will find a way… Anywhere I go… I'm home… If you are there beside me."_

I see the run rise as I sing, and then I remember Ivan's face when he and I were playing in the snow.

_"Like dark turning into day… somehow we'll come through… Now that I've found you… Love will find a way." _I sing, before closing the window and going back to my bed.

~Ivan's POV~

I was sitting on the bed that was in the farmer's house that I was shacking up in. It's been a day or two, and I've been in pain…

_"I was so afraid… Now I realize… Love is never wrong, and so it never dies…" _I sing, before looking out the window and imagining Carly's face where the sun is.

_"There's a perfect world… shinning in her eyes…" _I sing.

Almost as if Carly could hear me, I heard her singing as she and I sang, _"And if only they could feel it, too. The happiness when I'm with you, they'd know… Love will find a way."_

_"Anywhere we go, we're home, if we are there together," _We sang together, as I saw her, omnipresent, and held her hand. _"Like dark turning into day. Somehow we'll come through, now that I've found you. Love will find a way…"_

_"I know love will find a way…" _We sang together as I let go of her hand for the time being.

~End of Ivan's POV~

After that, time just flies without me noticing, and Ivan's still not here. I feel that this is completely unfair and I feel horrible.

Search parties are going at it, trying to find Ivan, but they end up getting into trouble with the rebels, so the search can't really… well, search. Not to mention that the country's situation is getting unstable again. A new commander is chosen, the military dispatches peace negotiations, etc., but none of this I can care about…

Everyone is also busy with prep for the funerals for Ivan and the troops that were KIA. The atmosphere has died and I haven't even eaten…

"Carly, did you not eat your meal _again_ today?" Mikhail asks me; he's worried.

"Not hungry…" I say, sadly.

"Would you eat food from Nobel Michel?" Mikhail asks me.

"Don't go that far for me… I've got no appetite…" I say. "I'm sorry… Since Ivan's gone… I shouldn't even be here anymore; I've outstayed my welcome, haven't I?"

"You are Ivan's precious fiancé. The King has ordered you to stay." Mikhail says.

Mikhail is right; I'm still here on the King's orders, but he had a kind expression.

We hear knocking on the door and then the head Maid comes in.

"Excuse me, Carly." She says.

"What is it?" Mikhail asks.

"Everyone's worried about Carly not eating; she should at least have a hot drink," The Head Maid says, as she poured some hot milk for me. "Here's some hot milk. Will you drink it, Carly?"

She places the cup in front of me, and I take it into my hands, before asking, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, everyone's so worried about you," The head maid asked. "Ivan was so happy to have you here. I've known him since he was a child. Although he didn't show it, I could tell that something about him changed. Only that robot butler of his didn't notice it."

"Robots are accurate and superior, so I'll take that as a compliment." Mikhail says.

"Pfft… Hahaha… That's funny." I say, causing the maid to smile at me.

"I think the whole castle brightens when you smile like that," The head maid said. "I know it's painful, but everyone here loves you, Carly."

I soon think of the love everyone's put into the hot milk before me; I smile and start to drink it.

"So warm…" I say, and then I remember the first day I came here. "Mikhail brought me hot milk the first night I arrived here."

"So I did." Mikhail says, with a smile.

I think of everything that's happened up to now; it's like a movie running through my head. Feeling lost in my new life here at Sybil Fortress; calling Ivan a 'cockroach'; sending Ivan off to battle, and making sweets; riding the horse and playing in the snow; our dance at the ball, and my final rant before throwing the ring at him and walking out. Our reunion, then watching the aurora…

"Ivan and I experienced so much together," I say. "These were all things that I could only dream of… Yet…"

I start crying, and I can't stop the tears.

Once I cry out all of my tears, I work up the guts to go into Ivan's room. The excuse I used was that Urey and Snieg's brush was there. I slowly enter the suite, and the only thing that's changed in here is the fact that Ivan's not here.

My eyes wander to the desk and I see something glittering. I go over to the desk and I see…

"The ring I gave back to him?" I ask myself, and I pick it up; as I'm about to put it on, I mentally slap myself, and stop.

If anyone is going to put this ring on my finger, I want it to be Ivan. He _did_ promise me he'd come back. I can't wear it if he doesn't… but whom am I kidding? Of course he isn't coming back…

I feel tears prick my eyes…

"There you are, Carly." Mikhail says.

"Whoops, sorry Mikhail," I say. "I guess I…"

"It's okay. I have something important to tell you," Mikhail says. "Ivan's state funeral will be held five days from now."

I don't say anything to Mikhail, and I just listen.

"Of course, you will be attending." Mikhail says to me.

"I'm his fiancé, aren't I? Isn't that a given?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"In preparation, the other princes and Ivan's sisters will be coming here," Mikhail says. "I have a lot to do. So could you look after them while they're here?"

I guess Mikhail doesn't want me to be alone while I'm in this state, so I think he might be looking out for me.

"Thanks… I'll give it my best." I say, albeit my gut says something else.

Though I feel there's no reason for me to be here at the castle now that Ivan's gone, I feel that this might be my last job here…

* * *

><p><span>~Ivan's POV~<span>

While still wounded and hurt, I'm not about to quit. I'm in contact with Mikhail and I inform him of what happened. I ask him to keep it under wraps for now.

"So what do you plan to do?" Mikhail asks me.

"I'll just head back into town incommunicado, in disguise, and then I dress up as a guard and attend the funeral… which will be a bit strange…" I say. "But Neil will most likely be there to check to see if I really have died, and then we nab him there."

"Excellent," Mikhail says. "But how are you going to get into town without getting caught? And still hurt?"

"I'll figure that out…" I say, before writing down ideas I had in mind. "Just keep Carly busy while you work under my orders, okay?"

"Understood." Mikhail says.

~Ivan's POV~

The date of the funeral has been decided, and his three sisters have returned to Sybil Fortress; as much as I feel that they want to cry over their brother's loss, they smile in my presence and give me a hug.

"Carly, you look pale. Are you eating properly?" Olga asks me.

"Hey, why don't you have dinner with us tonight?" Anastasia offers.

"Only if you're up for it, of course." Tatiana says.

"Forgive me… But I think another time…" I say.

"Yes, of course. You must be tired, so take a rest." Anastasia says.

"Thanks," I say. "The maid prepared tea; shall we have that instead?"

"Heheh… I'm happy." Olga says.

"Eh? At a time like this?!" I ask, surprised.

"It seems like you've become familiar with the people at the castle," Olga states. "There's a lot of servants here, but comparatively few lords."

"True…" I say. "The fact that it was normally Ivan by himself here in this huge place was a little strange, as well."

"That's right… our mother passed away when Ivan was little." Anastasia says.

"And our father's always away somewhere." Tatiana says.

"Actually, we _did_ have an uncle. Our father's brother." Olga says.

"What? I never heard Ivan bring him up at all…" I say.

"He went out to suppress and uprising and was killed." Olga explains.

"So Ivan was determined from a young age to fulfill not only his role as the King's son, but his uncle's place, too." Tatiana explains.

"Ivan would definitely be the one to unite the country and bring peace to the nation. Everyone thought that, including us and our father." Anastasia says.

"Ivan only lived for that goal," Olga says to me. "You were the first peace he ever knew."

"For you and Ivan to protest this country together, hand-in-hand was our wish." Anastasia says.

I stare in amazement as they give me sad smiles and I'm feeling even _worse_. I knew that he had a lot on his shoulders, but not _that_ much…

* * *

><p><strong>I'm mourning the loss of Ivan so much that my health is at risk. However, will things at the funeral be okay? What lies ahead of me now that Ivan has died?<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**It's the funeral, and I'm depressed because Ivan is gone and I have no one else to turn to. I feel like that after this, I'm going to be back in Nobel Michel with a broken heart and never being able to forget what's happened. But… when that cockroach who kidnapped me shows up, the script gets flipped...**

* * *

><p><em><span>The Script's Final Flip<span>_

"Ivan would definitely be the one to unite the country and bring peace to the nation. Everyone thought that, including us and our father." Anastasia says.

"Ivan only lived for that goal," Olga says to me. "You were the first peace he ever knew."

"For you and Ivan to protest this country together, hand-in-hand was our wish." Anastasia says.

I stare in amazement as they give me sad smiles and I'm feeling even _worse_. I knew that he had a lot on his shoulders, but not _that_ much…

*Bong* *Bong*

The next day, we're in the church for the funeral… As his fiancé, I'm in attendance, as well.

"We are gathered here for the funeral of Ivan Chernenkov, first prince of Sanct Sybil Kingdom." King Nikolai starts, and the bells toll while the funeral starts.

Mikhail is showing in the guests, so he's outside right now; there are mourners from all over Sanct Sybil, and they're all putting flowers in front of the casket. The atmosphere is oppressive, as well as dark, and I'm thinking how strange it feels to have a funeral with an empty casket.

Yes, you heard me: the casket is empty. Thing is, while it hasn't been publicly announced, the truth is that Prince Ivan's body has yet to be found.

I hear Snieg snuffling beside me, and I put my hands on top of the heads of the wolves.

"Good boy, Urey… Snieg…" I say. "Let's go see Ivan off together."

The wolves are pretty smart, so they know exactly what to do.

Once the service is over, the casket is carried out to the bigger hall and the crowd of citizens around the cathedral is _huge_. I realize that Prince Ivan was just so popular, but for the right reasons. So many are in mourning for his loss.

The citizens aren't the only ones attending: the other five princes are here, too.

They're talking a short distance away from me.

Hayden doesn't say anything.

"Why, Ivan…?" Sieg asks.

"I can't believe it." Oliver says, grieving.

"It was so sudden." Aslan says.

"Yeah. The last time we saw him was at that ball." Kuon says.

I remember the time the princes were hitting on me at the party; the same one I walked out on Ivan at. Back at that party, we had a lot of fun. Thinking back, Ivan must have been jealous, when he was showing off during the dance the way he did. But it was all so dream-like…

They finish greeting Ivan's sisters and the King before coming over to me.

"Carly…" Hayden addresses me.

"Thanks for coming, guys," I say. "I know you must be swamped with work…"

"You have huge bags under your eyes," Sieg points out. "Are you not sleeping?"

"And are you eating properly?" Oliver asks me. "You look like you've lost weight."

"I'm eating fine." I lie to him.

Prince Oliver just gently touches my cheek; I'm sure they're all worried about me.

"No need to put on a brave face. When you're sad, I can look after you." Oliver jokes.

Seriously, Oliver?! You shouldn't kid around at a time like this…

"Ahem! Prince Oliver?" Prince Aslan says, correcting Oliver's behavior. Thank you, Aslan…

"We all understand how hard this is for you." Prince Hayden says to me.

"There must be something we can do…" Sieg says to me, looking pained.

Considering that Sieg and I visited Ivan together that one time, he might feel responsible for me. But… I don't want to be a burden to anyone, and this could be perceived in a lot of different ways.

"But might that be taken as you interfering in domestic affairs?" Hayden inquires.

"And I don't think Ivan would like that." Oliver points out.

"Yeah, he'd tell you to use your power for your own country." Kuon points out.

Soon, silence fills the air, but then Prince Hayden looks up and breaks the silence.

"Anyway, we just don't want you to damage your health." Hayden says.

"It might be difficult, but… be strong." Oliver says to me.

How can I be strong at a time like this?! Yes, resilience skills are important for times like this, but… I never thought this would happen…

"And I want to eat your cakes again." Oliver says.

"Really? I'll go for broke, as always." I say.

Now that the subject's come up, baking hasn't crossed my mind even once for a long time. Guess I'm grieving too much to think about something other than sweets.

Now I realize how big a part of my life Ivan was, and now I feel like without him around, things have died out… Everything, that is.

Urey then stands up while Snieg starts howling; they have been quite and sitting at my feet for a while now, and now they're sniffing around.

"Urey? Snieg? What's going on?" I ask.

"Those must be the pets that Ivan doted on?" Sieg asks. "Maybed they're bored after sitting still for so long?"

"Or they could be hungry?" Oliver asks.

"But they're smart. They were watching intently all through the funeral." Aslan comments.

"They must have really loved Ivan…" Kuon states.

They begin howling, and this is the first time they've behaved like this with me. Suddenly, they leap up to their feet.

"No pun intended, but chill out you two. What's gotten into you?" I ask, trying to calm these two down.

They won't stop howling; they normally listen to me, too.

Zain comes over, and sees what's happening.

"Is something the matter, Carly?" He asks me.

"Zain… the wolves just suddenly started howling…" I say.

"If you don't mind, could I take them until they calm down?" Zain begins.

"That's probably the right thing to do…" I say, but just as Zain is about to take the two wolves with him…

Olga, Tatiana, and Anastasia come over.

"It's okay, leave them." Olga says.

"Lady Olga… is that okay?" Zain asked.

"They're mourning Ivan's loss…" Olga says.

"Won't they bother everyone else if they keep going like this?" I inquire.

"It's fine, the service is over now," Anastasia says to me. "And soon, they'll be accepting flowers from the public, right?"

"So I've heard…" I say.

"Until you got here, these two were Ivan's closest friends," Tatiana says to me, before casting a gentle gaze over to Urey and Snieg. "They have a right to show their grief."

"If Ivan's sisters wish it, then it should be okay to leave them a while." Hayden says.

"They usually obey me, but…" I say, but trail off.

"Don't worry about it." Kuon says.

"They probably want to stay by your side in place of Ivan." Kuon says to me.

"I'm sure that's it. Shall we go pay a visit to the casket, too?" Aslan suggests.

I nod in reply to Aslan's suggestion; I manage to get the howling wolves in hand, and we all go over to the casket, which was placed in the center of the hall.

I decide to stay off to the side with the wolves. From a short distance away, I gaze at the offerings of flowers going before the casket, which was draped with the flag of the nation. I look over to mourners, but… I recognize someone in the crowd.

I see the man responsible for kidnapping me and pushing Ivan off the cliff. I have no idea why he's here, or why he'd attend this ceremony…

I look around for Mikhail, but so far, I don't see anyone or anything that even looks like him. I'm not even sure that this guy is the cockroach who caused Ivan to fall to his death…

But I need to tell someone, or at least double-check that it's really the guy responsible for all of this. He'll book it as soon as the offerings are over!

~Ivan's POV~

Mikhail and I are putting our plan into motion and I have managed to fool everyone with my disguise so far; my hat has been pulled down while I get on the horse.

I'm in disguise as a member of the Royal Guard, and I'm guarding the casket, which _should, supposedly, _have my body in it.

I see Neil in the crowd and then I approach him on horseback.

"Hey you, stop!" I say, stopping Neil. I have my hat pulled low over my eyes.

I bring the horse closer, and I hear murmurs running through the surrounding crowds.

I hear agitated yelps from Urey and Snieg.

"Yes, what is it?" Neil asks me.

"There's no doubt about it, you showed yourself…!" I say.

Neil tries to flee, but I use my horse and stop him. I'm sure if Carly was watching, which, she is, she recognizes all of this.

Mikhail comes dashing out of the shadows, leading a group of shoulders, and he shouts, "There he is!"

The soldiers surround Neil and soon enough, he's been seized.

Perfect.

~End of Ivan's POV~

"What's going on?!" Kuon asks.

"I don't know! All I can tell is that this man's a bad guy…" Oliver says.

"But… I feel like that guard's got a strange finesse." Hayden says.

We watch as we all see the man being seized and detained. No one knows what's happening, and the room's abuzz with commotion.

The guard brings his horse to the casket. Out of nowhere…

*Bam!* *Crack!*

This upsets me; the horse's hoof smashed through the casket, revealing it to be empty.

"Eeeek! Prince Ivan's casket!" A woman shouts.

"Hey, someone stop that guard!" A man shouts, in anger.

There are angry shouts and screams ringing out at the guard's actions.

"Argh…! What the…!" Anastasia shouts, before collapsing to the floor in shock.

"Anastasia! Someone help! Anastasia's collapsed!" Olga shouts.

"Olga! The casket…" Tatiana begins.

"Hey, look… Ivan's body isn't in the casket…?" Another man asks.

"Where's Ivan's body…?" A second woman inquires.

What does that guard think he's doing?! I'm also upset with what's going on, but what's got me anxious right now is that the attendees don't know that Ivan's body hasn't been found yet, and now they're all in an uproar!

"Why the hell is that guard causing such a commotion…?" Hayden asks.

"And what about that guy Mikhail's captured?" Sieg asks.

I murmur to the others, "The man they've just arrested is the cockroach that kidnapped me, and pushed Ivan off the cliff!"

"So he's the one who drove Ivan to his death…" Hayden says.

"You did well to spot him mixed in with all the attendees." Kuon praises me.

"How can I forget his face? Oh, Urey!" I shout, as Urey and Snieg peel away and dash over to the guard's feet.

"Incoming!" I shout to the guard.

The horse is startled, and then he rears up in surprise; the guard skillfully fends off the wolves and gets his horse under control.

Seeing this, my suspicions about the guard become certainties, and I feel my heart flutter at the idea. Once the wolves calmed down and the horse recovered its balance…

The guard throws off the coat and low cap; light flashed off golden hair, and I get a good look at the man…

"Ivan!" I shout, my eyes filling with tears.

There's no doubt about it: Ivan, my beloved prince, is right there.

"Ivan!" Sieg shouts.

"Huh…? What the hell?" Oliver asks.

"You're alive…?" Kuon asks.

There's bewilderment and commotion spreading through the whole building until turmoil ensues.

"Ivan…" I begin, choked up.

Our eyes meet for an instant, and I see him move his lips to form my name, before giving me a faint smile. It's him…

"My citizens…" Ivan says, pulling out the sword from his belt and holding it up high; the commotion dies down, causing the silence to be certain. "I plunged into the icy waters of death because of these cowardly men. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for the pain that I caused you all! But… Ivan Chernenkov of Sanct Sybil Kingdom will not fall until he has brought true peace to this nation!"

A cheer goes up at this, and his horse neighs before rearing up on its hind legs, raising Ivan's figure even higher.

"Prince Ivan!" "Long live Prince Ivan!"

The citizens are all calling his name and cheering in delight. All other sounds get drowned out at this and this is something out of a movie. I'm amazed and I'm staring at him.

Prince Ivan lowers not only his sword and puts it away, but he jumps lightly off the horse. He starts making a beeline for me, our eyes fixed together.

"Ivan… Welcome back…" I say.

"Yeah, I'm finally back." Ivan says to me.

However, the sight of Ivan is blurred because of my tears.

"I'm so happy you're alive and in one piece! Don't scare me like that…" I say, as I begin wiping tears away.

"I wasn't able to keep my promise to meet you at Sybil Fortress," Ivan says to me. "Can you forgive me?"

"Naturally… You've come back to me…" I say, but then Ivan hugs my tightly.

I revel in his warmth as I just let my tears flow down my face from relief.

"Sorry I made you worry." Ivan says to me, but I can't respond. So, I just burry my head into his chest and I nod.

Ivan seems to understand and we hear applause coming from all around us. The once somber hall is now filled with joy and relief. I'm so impressed that Ivan is capable of touching the hearts of so many… And I'm even more surprised that I fell in love with him…

As I'm wrapped in Ivan's embrace, all I feel is happiness throughout my whole body.

"Worried?! I was heartbroken and in mourning! I didn't have any inkling you were alive until now…" I say.

"Carly…" He says, before pulling away from me; he gets down on a knee, and holds my hands. "I swear, I will never leave your side again."

"Ivan…" I say, and he kisses the back of my hand, causing the hall to fill with cheers again.

As soon as Ivan releases my hand and we step down from the platform, the rest of the princes come to talk to us.

"Geez, Ivan… that was really something!" Oliver says.

"Only you could pull off something so ridiculous," Sieg says. "It was embarrassing to watch."

"All it needed was a rose between the teeth." Kuon says.

"No way, it's suit him so much it wouldn't even be funny." Sieg argues.

"Then shall we try and commission a portrait like that instead?" Hayden says.

"A picture of Ivan with a rose in his mouth… That's something to see!" I say, laughing.

"Right?!" Hayden asks.

"What are you guys whispering about?" Ivan asks.

"That would be hilarious. If you're gonna commission it, I'm on board!" Oliver says, with a laugh.

"Shall we do it as a congratulatory present form all of us for coming back to life?" Aslan jokes.

"Oh, great idea!" Kuon asked.

Ivan frowns while watching the others' banter.

"Geez! I've had it with those guys!" Ivan says.

"Can you blame them? They're so happy to have you back." I say, crossing my arms.

"And what about you?" Ivan asks me.

"I'm filled with emotions; I'm not sure right now…" I say. "I felt like the world ended until just a few hours ago. But now I'm so happy to have you back, that I don't know what to do."

"That's quite a passionate confession…" Ivan says to me, his face turning red.

* * *

><p>After that rollercoaster of a day, the next few days seem too quiet for it to be real…<p>

I learned that Prince Ivan was covered in bandages underneath that guard uniform. The injuries he sustained made him move rather strangely.

"Did you take your meds, Ivan?" I ask.

"You don't need to fuss so much. I'm not a child," Ivan says to me. "But to be honest, I'm getting bored lying in bed all day…"

"Throw that thought out the window, Ivan," I say, taking the authority this time. "You need to rest for two more days; doc's orders. You need to heal your shoulder injury correctly; do you want to get complications?"

"I suppose I wouldn't be able to grip my sword properly if I couldn't move my shoulder… So I'll just have to rest." Ivan says, but it's obvious he's getting desperate to get his body moving.

"Now that I think about it, you've yet to tell me how you survived." I say, crossing my arms.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I haven't," Ivan says to me. "It was the snow."

"The snow broke your fall?" I ask.

"Right, but then I couldn't move from the pain and nearly froze to death." Ivan says.

"EH?!" I shout, surprised.

"If I hadn't been rescued by a farmer who happened to be passing by… I wouldn't have made it back here," He says. "Even if he knew who I was, he just kept quiet and looked after me. I guess he didn't know what was going on in the world."

I'm in shock that Ivan went through something like that…

"We'd better make sure that farmer is thanked…" I say.

"Yeah, I've asked Mikhail to send out a search for him." Ivan says, before his eyebrows relax.

In spite of complaining of being bored, his body isn't quite recovered, he ends up falling asleep.

"Sleep peacefully, Ivan… I'm sure we'll catch up quite a bit once you're finally recovered." I say to him.

Two days later, after Ivan followed the doctor's orders, his body has healed; the two of us are out and about, and we're walking around the perimeter of the castle.

"The doctor finally gave me permission to go out for a walk," Ivan says to me. "I felt like if I didn't move soon, I'd completely forget how."

"Nice to see you seem better." I say to him.

"Yeah, my shoulder still hurts, but it won't impact my daily life." Ivan replies to me.

"You know the old saying: 'time heals all wounds'." I say with a shrug.

"I know…" Ivan says to me. "But if it heals too quickly, I won't be able to take walks with you anymore…"

I soon feel the temperature on my cheeks skyrocket when he says this.

"Sorry to interrupt your walk, Ivan." Mikhail says.

"Ack! Mikhail…" I begin, feeling embarrassed.

"What is it, Mikhail? I'm in the middle of walking practice. Is it something important?" Ivan asks.

"I've come to inform you that the fighting will soon be over." Mikhail says.

"Huh?" Ivan asks. "I see. Finally…"

Ivan's cranky face brightens and seeing this, I think I get it.

"Is the insurrection dying down?" I ask.

"After Ivan's return, our troops' morale was raised and they've succeeded in repressing the rebel army." Mikhail explains.

"Which means the uprising is over, for now." Ivan confirms.

"Phew. What a relief… That's great, Ivan!" I say.

"Thanks. Seems like we've gotten rid of most of them this time." Ivan says.

"In addition, we have identified the farmer who rescued you." Mikhail says.

"Really…? Then I must thank him to the best of my ability." Ivan says.

Mikhail smiles at this, and he says, "I suppose. But that's no small gesture coming from the hero who saved our country."

"If that man hadn't saved me, I would certainly be dead… At any rate, he said it was luck he came by me when he did." Ivan says.

"Were you really in that bad of shape?" I ask.

"Yeah, at first he thought I was a corpse because I was so pale," Prince Ivan says to me. "But… I knew that I wanted to see you again. It's strange. As I was going numb with the cold and the pain, I kept seeing your face…"

Okay, remember when I said that my cheeks' temperature skyrocketed? Well, try skyrocketing all the way to the moon… It's like the sun is on my cheeks – directly.

I don't know how Ivan can say stuff so passionate so easily… It's a little humiliating.

"I can see that I'm intruding here, so please excuse me." Mikhail says.

"Now hold on, you're not interrupting…" I begin, but…

"Yeah, thanks for the report. You can go." Ivan says.

"Carly, I think in any case, Ivan would rather I left." Mikhail says, before leaving with a smile.

Ivan pulls a sour face and then he says, "I feel like he's gradually revealing his true colors. But… I couldn't have done it without Mikhail's help."

"Before the funeral, Mikhail was so busy that I didn't see him a lot. So he was working under your orders?" I ask.

"That's right. The farmer who saved me didn't have a phone or a TV in his house," Ivan says to me. "When I could finally move again, I went out into the town. That's when I learned about the funeral. It was a strange feeling, watching my own funeral."

His expression is morose, and I can't help but smile.

"But as expected, Neil turned up ay my funeral to check that I was really dead… And you know the rest." Ivan explains to me.

"Ivan, I have one question." I ask.

"What is it?" Ivan asks in reply.

"If Neil hadn't appeared at the funeral, how would you have showed yourself?" I ask him.

Ivan does not answer me; I then realize he didn't come up with a backup plan.

"Don't tell me you didn't have a backup plan for that…" I say, slapping myself in the face.

However, I don't fail to pick up the way Ivan's face turns into a strawberry as he averts his eyes.

"Everything went according to plan, so there's no problem, is there?" Ivan asks me.

"Touché." I say, admitting defeat, before laughing.

"What are you laughing at…?!" Ivan asks me.

"What makes you think I'm laughing?" I ask.

Now that I think it, I used to think Ivan was just cold and strict, but now I see that he has cute points, too, but I wish he'd show them more. But… isn't it greedy and selfish for me to be the only one who knows this side of him? Then again, maybe his sisters know this side of him, too…

In preparation for Ivan's comeback party tomorrow, the kitchen is abuzz and everyone – minus me – is running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I'm in my uniform and I'm working as a pastry chef.

"Soak the sponge cake in syrup once the cake is finished." I say, taking the lead.

"Okay." The pastry chef says.

"Now to bake the biscuits…" I say, before changing priorities.

"Carly, does this custard taste okay?" Another pastry chef asks me.

I take a plastic spoon and scoop some it out before eating it, and then I nod before saying, "Perfect. Go head. Oh, right, the jelly…"

While I'm running around, busier than a worker bee, I'm having a great time. Even the princes, who are honored guests at this party, have made requests. I'm also in charge of all of the sweets that are to be served at the party.

"But is this really okay?" The pastry chef asks. "For you to be working here, even though you're the prince's fiancé…?"

"This is something I asked for." I say in confidence.

Out of nowhere, Prince Ivan pops his head into the kitchens, and comes to visit.

"Looks like you're having fun, Carly." Ivan says to me.

"Ivan!" I say, surprised to see him.

"You really come alive when you put on that uniform." Ivan compliments.

"Do I?" I ask, blushing.

"If you want to continue your pastry chef work, I won't force you to get married. I don't mind if you turn me down… I'll accept it." Ivan says to me.

He's being considerate of me, but I decide to tease him and give him a run for his money. I want to show everyone here his flustered side.

"Ivan… You're over me?" I ask, trying to sound sad. "I guess it isn't becoming of a princess to be covered in flour…"

"No, that's not it…!" Ivan states.

I know what he really means, but I decided to pretend to be hurt, causing him to become flustered.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, I…" Ivan begins.

"Gotcha!" I say, before giggling a bit.

"Joking… again? You got me." Ivan says.

"As much as I love my work, being your fiancé isn't bad, either." I say, with a smile on my face.

"In other words, you _want_ to marry me?" Ivan asks me. "I guess a proposal from the woman is okay these days."

"Not what I was going for, Ivan…" I say.

"Anyway, you're still my fiancé for now. You're my 'choice' of princess," He says to me. "Being a royal isn't easy. Once you get a taste you might change your mind."

Listen, I understand some of what Ivan has on his shoulders, and I'm beginning to wonder if I can back him up when I need to.

"Well, once you get used to it, I'll make you my queen," Ivan says to me. "Sanct Sybil is a harsh country. If a woman's going to live with me forever, she's gotta be tough."

"You know me… Bring it on." I say, the attitude I used to have towards Ivan coming back.

The two of us each smile at one another, and I'm hoping that this happiness lasts forever.

As always, the party is an extravagant and well-attended affair. Ivan is busy going around greeting others along with his father, King Nikolai, so I'm standing alone – literally. I'm not that good with parties, yet, but I'm getting used to it.

I'm thinking of sneaking out to check in on the kitchens, when…

"Oh, Carly, there you are!" Oliver points me out.

"Huh? You aren't making cakes this time?" Sieg asks me.

"I was looking forward to them…" Aslan says, with a hint of disappointment.

I give them a smile and I say, "Not to worry, you guys. I've gotten most of the preparations done, so I've left the rest to the castle pastry chefs."

"By the way, where'd Ivan go, leaving his fiancé on her own like this?" Hayden asks me.

"Last time I checked, he and His Majesty were going around greeting the rest of the guests." I say.

"But _we_ haven't see him, have we?" Kuon asks.

"Now that you mention it… we greeted King Nikolai, but…" Sieg states.

"Where'd he go?" I ask.

"He's probably doing some alcohol tasting somewhere." Oliver says.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon." Kuon says.

"Oh, isn't it almost time for the dance to start?" Hayden asks.

Dance? Oh, snap…

Nuts, what do I do?! Ivan's not back, yet… The music for the dance starts, but Ivan has yet to come back.

"What's that Ivan doing, leaving his precious fiancé all by herself?" Kuon asks.

"Hey, Carly, since you're here, why not dance with me?" Oliver asks, holding out his hand to me.

"Er…" I begin, hesitant to say 'yes'.

"You're here to dance! Just think of it as practice for when Ivan gets here." Oliver says.

He cares about me; I guess that's why he's offering himself up. Since he's being so considerate, I can't say 'no', but… I should.

"What do you say?" Oliver asks.

"S-Sure…" I begin, about to put my hand in Oliver's, when…

"I thought you were _my_ fiancé?" Ivan asks, coming out of nowhere, and grabs hold of my hand.

For once, I'm thankful for his forcefulness.

"Ivan!" I say, with a smile on my face.

"You're late." Sieg says.

"There was something I had to do," Ivan says in his defense, before turning to me. "Let's go, Carly."

"Oliver…" I begin, turning to him, but…

"You'll be happier dancing with Ivan. Go ahead!" Oliver says. "Don't worry about me, it's what I'm here for."

"Haha, you've finally matured, Oliver." Sieg says, laughing.

"You're so mean! Well, see ya, Carly." Oliver says, grinning.

Ivan leads me out onto the dance floor, but then he says, "Geez, his kindness usually has ulterior motives, so you be careful."

"He's a nice guy… At least, that's what I think." I say.

"Kind, huh…?" Ivan says. "Would have danced with him if I didn't come?"

"You're the one I wanted to dance with the most." I said, playing coy.

"Then we'll leave it at that," He says. "Do you remember the steps?"

I've been so busy with the cake prep, that I haven't had time to practice or study up…

"From that look, I take it you don't really remember." He says to me.

"Sorry…" I say.

"You're a quick study, but it seems you're also quick to forget." Ivan says to me.

"Excuse me, I'm not used to this yet." I say, my attitude coming back.

"Then we'll have to dance a lot so you remember." Prince Ivan says.

"So you'll be my practice partner?" I ask, with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah… if you come with me to my lessons." He says to me.

"I'd love that." I say.

"Good answer." He says.

He leads me in the dance, and while at first, my movements are a little awkward, they smooth out as it goes on.

"That's right… Stand up straight." Ivan says.

"Okay…" I say.

"You looked good in the kitchens, but you also look at home in a dress now, too." He says to me.

"No kidding? Your sisters picked this one out." I say in reply.

"Yeah, it looks really good on you." Ivan says to me.

He pulls me close and murmurs into my ear as he does this, and I'm so surprised that I slip and stagger a bit.

He clutches me tightly as I end up stumbling, and he says, "Don't lose your footing over it."

I say nothing, and just blush a bit. I don't know why, but it feels weird that I like what's going on.

I manage to get through the dance and once it's over, we leave the dance floor, and his sisters are waiting for us.

"That dress really suits you, Carly." Olga says.

"It does! Our choice was perfect!" Tatiana adds.

"I'm glad we matched it to Ivan's colors." Anastasia says.

"Yeah, they really stand out." Tatiana comments.

Ivan sighs as his sisters surround us like a flock of birds – peahens, maybe.

"Hey, more importantly, what were you two talking about while you were dancing?" Olga asks, about to tease us.

"You sure looked like you were having fun." Anastasia teases.

"Hey, that's our business." I say, turning on my attitude.

"Ooh, something secret you can't tell us about? Things are heating up." Tatiana says.

"Now hang…" I begin, but…

"Come on, give me a break…" Ivan says. "Carly, forget about them; will you come with me?"

"Oh, forget about us? How rude!" Olga says.

"Well, you can tell us everything later." Tatiana says.

We hurriedly say our farewells for the time being, and then out of nowhere, Ivan pulls me by hand, out of the hall.

* * *

><p>Ivan brings me to his suite and as always, Urey and Snieg are there. I say, "Ivan, don't you think it's inappropriate to leave your own party?"<p>

"The party will probably go on all night. It won't matter if I'm gone for a while." He says to me.

I think it's the other way around.

"Are you sure it's okay to talk to your sisters like that?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"If I didn't, they'd never leave me alone," Ivan says. "I think they're enjoying having a little sister around."

"Nice to see that's how they see me." I say.

Urey and Snieg are beside the sofa, sleeping, and I give their heads a pet. Urey opens his eyes for a moment, but then goes back to sleep.

"I think they like you more than me now." I say.

"Do you really think that?" I ask.

"Yeah. You have a strange charm over people," He says to me. "Although I guess they're animals."

"I'm not popular at all," I say. "You've seen how bad of an attitude I have when I'm in a bad mood."

"I don't mean romantically, but I feel like you warm the hearts of the people around you. I thought that you gathered good people around you, but that's not it. You treat all the people around you kindly." He says to me.

It's flattering, what he's saying to me, but what he says next is a little surprising.

"And I might have been attracted to your warmth, too." He says to me.

"Ivan, I think 'heat' is the more appropriate word…" I say, embarrassed.

That's the first time he's mentioned being attracted to me; especially to my face. I feel so happy when he says this, that I can cry right now.

"Before I always thought I would marry to continue my line, and that it didn't matter who I married," He says to me. "Uniting the country would be my duty as King. I didn't need a family. But you changed that for me."

He looks straight at me as he says this, and his face is so intense that I look away.

"Idiot… I didn't do a thing…" I say, slapping my hands on my face.

"No, you didn't do anything in particular. All you did was be yourself. But I've never had someone I connected with like that before. I'd always been valued as the prince of Sanct Sybil Kingdom, but there's never been anyone who looked at me as a person." He confesses to me.

Now that it comes to mind, I remember that Ivan's mother died when he was young, and his sisters left home to get married. His father's always busy, so he grew up all by himself in the castle.

"You would get openly angry, or happy, or smile at my words," He says. "Your warmth melted my frozen heart. And you showed me what it means to love…"

Why is he saying such cheesy stuff? Well, sometimes it works.

Prince Ivan pulls a small box out of the desk drawer and I see that inside is the ring I threw when we had that fight.

"When I first gave you this ring, I only thought of you as a woman who fit my criteria, but now it's different," He says. "Now I truly love you. I want to marry you. Would you accept this ring once more?"

I see that there's some uncertainty in his eyes, and they're normally so confident. He's nervous, isn't he? Though he was so bold during his comeback, he seems more nervous about the ring this time.

"Yes…" I say, before holding out my right hand.

He slips the ring onto my ring finger, and I watch him intently. Since he's told me his feelings, it's time I tell him mine.

"Is it okay?" He asks me.

"When I came back here, I wanted you to put this ring on me again." He says.

"Carly…" Ivan says.

"I only went along with it the first time you gave me this ring; I hardly knew you then. But now I know my own feelings." I say, looking into Ivan's eyes.

I see myself reflected in their blue depths, and, I say, "I want to stand by you."

He pulls me to him and then he embraces me tightly.

"You really mean it?" He asks me.

"Of course, idiot…" I say.

"I'll never let you go again." He says to me.

"Don't…" I say.

I wrap my arms around Ivan in response, but his back is so bread and tall that I can't get my arms all the way around him. I just want to even try and get his back warmed up, even if just a little. We share a big hug with each other, sharing the warmth between us.

The next day, Ivan and I go on a walk together, but we're in the park this time around. It's probably because it's so cold, but no one else is around, so at least we won't cause a commotion.

"My body will grow weak if I stay within the castle. This is for my rehabilitation." Ivan says to me.

"Then we'll take it slow." I say, with a bit smile.

"Will you hold my hand?" Ivan asks me, his face red.

I don't see one trace of the ice prince that I first met all that time ago. Sure, we've held hands during dances before, but… this is sort of new for me. My heart begins pounding, and then, mustering up my courage, I put my hand in his, and he grasps it tightly. His fingers entwine with my own. I feel calluses on his hands from the horseback riding and the sword practice.

"Your hands are so soft… it's like holding a cake," He says to me, causing me to blush. "I'm worried I'll break them."

"Trust me, I don't break easily; you gotta be sturdy in the kitchen." I say.

The ring then glints on my other hand, and I lift it up to the sun to see the gem sparkle.

"You like it that much?" Ivan asks me. "I didn't expect you to like that sort of thing."

"It's sanitary protocol not to wear jewelry in the kitchen. But t I got this from you, as a symbol of love. It's what's this ring contains that matters." I say, holding the back of my hand up.

Ivan is watching me happily, and he says, "I've never thought of a present like that before… But now that you say it, I can see why that ring is special."

"Nice to see you get the picture." I say, giving him a smile, and he returns it to me.

"Then what would you do if I said I wanted something from you?" Ivan asks me.

That's a tough one.

"That's a tough one. I can't give you something like this ring, but I could always make you a cake or something…?" I suggest.

I'm not sure what to do. Ivan's never asked me this sort of thing before, so I'm thrown for a bit of a loop.

"I want something only you can give, something simpler than a cake…" He says to me, and I merely give him a questioning look.

I'm a little confused…

"Well…? What?" I ask.

"A kiss." He says.

Talk about forward… Now my face is going red, and I feel like a candied red delicious apple… As far as color goes.

"Your face is bright red." He says to me.

"Well… you're the one who said something like that!" I say.

"This is troubling for me, if that's your reaction…" He says, going red in the face.

"Ugh, fine…" I say, and then I press a kiss to his cheek. "So?"

"That's not enough…" He says to me, before pulling my face towards his. He covers his lips with my own and gives me a big kiss.

"Mmph…" I begin, a bit surprised. Sure, it's only a touch, but I feel how passionate he is. It just fills me with his feelings of love for me.

Once we pull apart, I look at Ivan's eyes; I'm being pulled into them, and I feel my heart rate accelerate.

"So cute…" He murmurs, then kisses me on the forehead. I feel warmth spreading through my body from that one place.

Now I feel like I'm about to explode from how strong my feelings are for him. I put my face into his chest, and he puts his hand on my head. He has a look of peace that I've never thought he could have when he and I first met.

"Carly… I'm so glad I met you…" He says to me.

"Right back at you." I say, smiling.

I remember everything that's happened and how our feelings went from a seed of hate and disagreement to one of love.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's a wrap! I hope you all liked this, and if you want me to do Sieg or Aslan's route in this style, let me know in a review or PM! I hope to hear from you guys, soon! Thing is, I only <strong>**_have_**** Ivan, Sieg, and Aslan's routes on my phone right now… So… I think I won't be able to get more funds to get more characters on these apps until… Christmas, at best...**


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